Key to Her Heart II
by The Blue Time Ranger
Summary: A year has passed since the heart of all worlds was sealed away, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. To save the multiverse from a horde of new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?
1. The Adventure Begins Anew

"Papa, I'm ready."

He looked over to see his thirteen-year-old daughter standing in the entrance to the room that he and his wife shared. She was smiling as brightly as a girl her age could. And he knew what that smile meant.

She hadn't stopped, ever since the first time she'd seen it. It had completely intrigued her, especially after her father had told her the tales of what he'd done with it.

And when she learned that she could one day wield it through what he called an "inheritance ceremony", she had been adamant about getting him to allow her to undertake the ceremony.

And, like all good kids, her sweet pleading had eventually gotten through to him.

"Dear, even though I did promise you, and I don't back down on promises..." he sighed, getting to his feet. "I still think I need to ask you. Are you sure you're ready for the responsibility? You know as well as I do what I've been through."

"Oh, papa, I'm not much younger than you were when you had your fun," she laughed. "I _know_ I can handle it. I've heard the stories, and I'm not afraid. If any of them get in my way, I'll take 'em all out!"

He couldn't help but laugh. Just like her mother.

That was all the convincing he needed, raising his right hand and summoning the Kingdom Key to his right hand. In truth, this wasn't his particular keyblade, having belonged to someone who had been very dear to him.

When his daughter had asked the first time, he had shed a few tears over the matter for the first time in many years. It still wasn't something he liked talking about.

But, he had promised to use this keyblade against the darkness. It was the little piece of light that _she_ had left him.

"Okay, Lily. Are you _sure_ you're ready?" he asked again.

"For the thousandth time, _yes_ , papa, I'm ready! Let's get the show on the road already!" Lily exclaimed.

He smiled and kneeled down, holding the Kingdom Key out to Lily, who now had stars in her eyes.

"In your hand, take this key," he proclaimed. "So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And no ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love."

Lily placed her hand atop her father's where he was holding the Kingdom Key's handle, feeling a surge of power flow through her hand and through the rest of her body.

After taking a step back, a keyblade flashed into Lily's hands. It resembled her father's Kingdom Key, but with inverted colors. Wherever his was silver, hers was gold, and vice versa.

"Oh, wow, I actually did it!" Lily giggled, swinging her new keyblade, Light Seeker, a few times. "I _gotta_ tell mama!"

And with that, Lily dashed out of the room to find her mother and show off her new keyblade.

"So, you finally did it, eh, Nick?"

Nick looked up to see Cornelia stepping into the room.

"Yeah, you know me," Nick laughed. "I figured I couldn't deny her any longer."

"Are you sure she can handle this?" Cornelia wondered, lazily summoning her own keyblade, Ends of the Earth. "You know the Heartless are still around."

"She can take those monsters easy," Nick admitted. "I'm more worried about _them_..."

Cornelia looked back at her husband, knowing exactly who he was referring to.

* * *

(To live a life of power, you must have faith that what you believe is right, even if others tell you you're wrong. The first thing you must do to live a life of power is to find courage. You must be ready to reach beyond the boundaries of time itself. And to do that, all you need is the will to take that first step...)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **Author's Notes and Explanations:** Yep, it's a new year (good riddance, 2016, IMO) and that means it's sequel time! I promised as such, and it's time to deliver! This one takes place a year after _Key to Her Heart HD Remix_ and after the third arc of _W.I.T.C.H._ , specifically right after the end of the battle with Ari of Arkhanta but before the Trial of the Oracle saga (yes, I'm reading as much of W.I.T.C.H. as I can, thank you internets). This story is mostly based on Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, but with elements from other Kingdom Hearts games appearing every now and then.

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I _did_ own W.I.T.C.H., which I _don't_ , why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

* * *

Episode 1: The Adventure Begins Anew

After a quick search, Lily finally found Cornelia, excitedly chattering to her mother about her new keyblade and how she was 'finally ready to face the darkness'.

As proud as Cornelia was, she knew that Lily most likely had no clue about the biggest threat to the city of Heatherfield at the current time...

... _them_.

Cornelia still had bad flashbacks of the first time they had attacked the city. A bunch of strange characters in black robes had attacked Heatherfield's civic center and killed dozens of people. The instant Nick had seen the black hoods, he thought that a certain enemy of his had returned from the grave.

But then, the hooded people introduced themselves as Organization XIII before disappearing almost as suddenly as they'd arrived.

Ever since that day almost three years ago, Organization XIII had returned every now and again to cause chaos in the town. While it was nothing Cornelia and her fellow Guardians couldn't handle, Cornelia often worried about her daughter.

So that was why Cornelia decided to outright tell Lily to stay away from Organization XIII if they ever showed up in town. She couldn't bear losing her precious children to the hands of those monsters.

After promising to her mother, Lily announced that she was going to go play with her friends and rushed out to the local park.

Cornelia sighed and plopped down into her favorite spot on the living room couch. She was still pretty anxious, and she knew exactly why.

Now that Lily could wield a keyblade, Cornelia knew that it was only a matter of time before Organization XIII would find out about it. They apparently had some strange fascination with the keyblade, as one of their stated goals had been to flush out a keyblade wielder to learn of its powers.

"Everything okay, Cornelia?"

Cornelia looked up and allowed herself to crack a smile as her husband walked in and sat down next to her.

"You can probably tell why I'm so worried, Nick," Cornelia sighed.

"About the Organization," Nick stated. "I heard they were spotted recently."

"Nick, I can't stand it. What if they attack Lily when there's no way we can get to her?" Cornelia wondered. "I know you've been keeping watch over her, but they know a lot of crazy tricks. I'm scared..."

"Hey, if Lily gets in over her head, we can go back her up," Nick replied. "Why do you think I've insisted on training every chance we get for the last, I don't know, sixteen years?"

Cornelia just nodded, summoning Ends of the Earth back to her free hand. "So we can be ready in case we're ever needed. Yes, Nick, I remember the script."

"So, let's just let Lily go play with her friends, and we'll jump in if we need to," Nick laughed. "Remember, I fought a goddess and won. I'm honestly not scared of a group of hooded nutballs."

That got Cornelia to laugh, finally allowing herself to relieve her tension.

"There we go," Nick quipped. "There's the woman I fell in love with."

Blushing at Nick's comment, but flattered nonetheless, Cornelia leaned over and kissed Nick passionately, forgetting her worries if only for the moment.

* * *

At thirteen years old, Lily Kelly didn't particularly stand out from the crowd, but if she was being honest, she was okay with that.

Besides, seeing as how her mother was a fashion model who did ice-skating in her free time, Lily knew that she would get attention either way, as Cornelia was quite well-known around these parts.

Lily brushed a hand through her chest-length blonde hair with brown tips, making sure there weren't any stray tangles mocking her. She _hated_ when that happened.

The thing that Lily liked most about her appearance was her eyes. Most people only saw pure brown, like her father, but those who looked closer could see a small shade of silver blending in with the brown.

Ever since her birth, Nick had believed this to be a gift from Marie, his deceased younger sister. Even Lily could still see how much that particular memory weighed heavily on Nick even sixteen years after he had been forced to kill Marie in order to save all of existence from being swallowed by darkness.

 _I promise, Auntie Marie,_ Lily thought as she crossed through the gates of Sheffield Institute. _You'll be proud of me, too. I know you would._

Lily immediately set off to find her circle of friends as she always did before school started. She couldn't wait to tell them of this new development.

"Hey, flower girl!"

Lily stopped dead in her tracks, inwardly sighing in frustration. _He never gives up, does he?_ Lily thought, turning around in her spot to face her aggressor as she always did.

"Nice clothes you've got. Do they honestly come in women's versions?" the slightly-muscled boy cackled.

"Cardin, you know that doesn't mean anything to me," Lily proclaimed, shaking her head at Cardin's insults. "I can rock either kind of fashion."

"Yeah, well, that's not why I'm here and you know it," Cardin laughed, advancing on Lily.

Ever since Lily's sixth grade year, Cardin had always been pestering her as bullies around here intended to do, and he never gave up, no matter how many times Lily had stuffed his taunts and insults. (And he shared the name with another bully her father had dealt with in another world. Oh, the irony, huh?)

"Cardin, I'm in a really good mood right now, so that's why, this time, I'm kindly asking you to shove off before I call for a teacher," Lily stated.

"Oh? And what makes you think I'm scared of a little girly-girl like you?" Cardin proclaimed.

 _Shouldn't have gone there,_ Lily thought. _Should I? Eh, I'll just show it to him and watch him run away. It'll be worth the laugh._

Lily raised her hand, but Cardin had already started twitching uncontrollably before running away screaming.

"Really, you wuss? I didn't even show it off yet!" Lily exclaimed.

Suddenly, Lily froze in her spot. Every single instinct her body possessed was telling her to move, and she decided to obey them, diving to the ground just in time to avoid the attack of a strange appendage that whipped through the air.

Lily came out of her roll just in time to notice what had attacked her; a strange white figure with an almost-distorted body and a zipper for a mouth.

"Oooookay, what are _you_ , ugly?" Lily wondered, realizing that it was focusing on her. Lily raised her right hand and summoned Light Seeker, ready to fight this odd creature off.

 _We have come for you._

"W-what?" Lily gasped before regaining her composure and bringing Light Seeker into a battle stance.

The Dusk approached, seemingly gliding across the ground before lashing out with its tentacle-like arms. Lily simply brought Light Seeker across her body to block the strike before retaliating, starting with an overhead swing, continuing with a diagonal chop, and finishing the combo with a leaping spin attack that split the Dusk in half. The two halves then popped out of existence a second later, leaving behind silver sparkles of light.

"Okay, that was seven kinds of weird," Lily quipped. Suddenly realizing that she had a class to get to, Lily let Light Seeker disappear and bolted through the front gates of Sheffield, putting the strange creature out of her mind.

From far away, a hooded figure can be seen watching the events unfold. This figure's cloak is brown, unlike the cloaks of Organization XIII.

The figure nods to itself before turning to leave the scene, vanishing completely as if it had never been there in the first place.

* * *

"So, how was your day, sweetie?" Cornelia asked when Lily returned home that day. It seemed like Lily was very excited, too.

"Oh, it was _awesome!_ " Lily exclaimed. "I made a bunch of new friends today in gym class!"

"I told you your charm was going to rub off on her, Cornelia," Nick teased as he walked in, having heard Lily arrive. "It was only a matter of time."

"Did you have any trouble with Cardin?" Cornelia wondered, having personally heard of the bully.

"Not much," Lily admitted. "He tried to mess with me as always, but this weird white creature thing scared him off. And that stinks, because I wanted to show him my new keyblade and make him think twice about messing with me anymore!"

It took a few seconds for what Lily said to register, but Nick and Cornelia let out a synchronized gasp of shock when it finally clicked.

"What? Did I say something funny?" Lily wondered.

"Lily, dear? What did that creature look like?" Cornelia asked, hoping that what she had heard wasn't coming to pass.

"It... well, it was _weird_ , honestly," Lily stated. "It had long, lanky arms and a _zipper_ for a mouth! I would have thought it was a costume if it hadn't exploded when I whacked it a few times..."

Nick sighed in frustration. Of course.

"Lily, I don't know if you've ever seen a Nobody before..." Nick stated.

"A Nobody? What's a Nobody? Is it a kind of Heartless?" Lily asked.

Cornelia sat down on the couch before explaining. "Lily, dear, the Nobodies are bad news. You know that when a person loses their heart, that heart becomes a Heartless, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if someone with a strong heart ever loses their heart, the empty body that's left behind will eventually begin to act with a will of its own," Cornelia continued. "That empty shell is what we call a Nobody."

"The Nobodies are generally the foot-soldiers of Organization XIII," Nick explained. "Which lends some credence to my theory that the Organization members are Nobodies themselves."

"Really, papa?" Lily asked. "Why is that?"

"You see, while Heartless only act on feral instinct, Nobodies can actually think and plan," Nick continued. "Because they possess the mind that was left behind. The one you fought was a Dusk, the most common type of Nobody. But trust me, dear, there are _many_ others, each with frightening powers."

"And now I'm _really_ worried," Cornelia admitted. "If a Dusk tried to attack you, then that must mean that the Organization knows about you. We may not be able to protect you forever, Lily, dear, but..."

Cornelia's stress suddenly faded as Lily hopped over and kissed her mother on the cheek.

"Mama, I know you're worried, but honestly, I'm not scared of these creepoids," Lily stated, hugging Cornelia tightly. "You and papa always raised me to be a strong woman, so I can forge my destiny with my own hands. And that really stuck with me. If those Organization wackos come calling, I'll send 'em home crying to mommy!"

Nick couldn't help but chuckle at his daughter's enthusiasm. "Lily, please never lose that innocence."

"Of course not, papa!" Lily giggled. "No matter how old I get, I'll always retain that spark of my youth! After all, you taught me that, papa."

After some more light-hearted conversation, Lily returned to her room to muse on the day's events.

"I could hear him," Lily giggled. "I actually heard him this time! Oh, Blake, I can't wait to meet you. You're gonna be the best little bro ever."

Lily summoned Light Seeker to her hands, gazing at her reflection in the shiny glow of the blade.

"In your hand, take this key," Lily stated, repeating what her father had said. "I wonder what sort of adventures I'll have?"

Feeling a little tired (she had run a _lot_ in gym class today), Lily decided to take a nap before dinner, opting to let her mother surprise her with what was on the menu tonight.

* * *

"Are you kidding me?" a man with spiky red hair exclaimed, sounding quite incredulous at his orders. "It's still too soon. You're not seriously thinking of getting rid of him?!"

"It is an order. Why the hesitation?" another figure replied, idly twirling one of his many naginatas. "You have been ruthless to any who have turned their backs on the Organization. Why is this so difficult to comprehend?"

"It's not like _that_!" the red-haired figure shot back. "It's not that he betrayed us, he just can't _come back_!"

The other figure didn't seem convinced. "If he _doesn't_ return to us soon, you know what needs to be done. Or would you rather face the consequences?"

The second figure let his weapon lash out to strike the chair the first figure was seated in. He didn't even flinch, not even when the weapon's edge sheared a few hairs off.

The group's leader, sitting in the highest chair, extended his hand and began to channel energy, lightning crackling around his hand.

"So, you'll make me a Dusk..." the first figure groaned. "Okay, fine, I'll do it! Just don't expect me to like it..."

"In our line of work, you don't _have_ to like it," the second figure proclaimed. "You must simply get it done."

* * *

I definitely wasn't expecting to see a dark void surrounding me when I opened my eyes. So, where am I?

After looking around for a couple seconds, I noticed that I was standing on a stained-glass platform in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, this seemed like the only thing in this void of ominousness!

I took a few steps forward, noticing the echo. Something about this weird place is actually starting to sound familiar to me...

 _So much to do, so little time to do it._

I jumped slightly at the random voice from out of nowhere. Hey, is someone here with me?

 _Take your time and don't be afraid. The door will not open yet. Now, step forward. Can you do it?_

Deciding to just humor mister weird voice, I took a few steps forward, and as I did, three strange objects appeared around me. First a sword, then a shield, then a staff. Now where have I seen these before?

 _Untold power sleeps deep within yourself. If you allow it to take form, it will give you great strength. Choose well._

Okay, time to start thinking, then, I guess. I looked at the sword first.

 _The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction._

Then, I looked at the staff.

 _The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin._

Finally, the shield. I noticed it actually had mama's elemental symbol on it. Weird...

 _The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all._

It was then that I noticed that mama's symbol was on all three of these weapons. I wonder if it's because she was a Guardian once...

Wait a minute! I remember now! This is what papa saw in his dreams before he got his keyblade! But... I already have a keyblade, thanks to papa.

If that's true, why am I in my Dive to the Heart?

I decided to answer that later, because it seemed like I wasn't going anywhere until I picked a weapon.

Maybe I'll go mama's way and pick the staff, since papa said he picked the shield.

I walked up and took the staff into my hands. The other weapons disappeared once I did, and I felt another surge of power flow through my body.

Once it went away, the staff disappeared too, and Light Seeker appeared in my hands. Um...

I noticed movement from behind me and dropped into a battle stance as at least four of those Dusk things slithered onto the platform like they thought they could defy the laws of physics.

Well, we _are_ basically in a dream, so I guess they could.

But if they can, so can I!

One of them leaped towards me, its body squashing and stretching like an old Looney Tunes cartoon, but I moved in to intercept it with a flying swing that sent it bouncing all over the platform.

Two of them tried to pincer me, but I did a quick spin to get them to back off before rushing in and swinging as hard as I could, destroying one of them.

The fourth Dusk actually managed to get through my defense and knock me into the air with a swinging uppercut, but I righted myself quickly and swung out to slam Light Seeker into its head on the way down, taking that one out as well. Two to go.

The remaining Dusks seemed to back off, but I didn't give them that chance, dashing forward and using a technique I'd seen papa use a lot, Zantetsuken (I _think_ that's how you pronounce it. That's what papa called it, right?), and made short work of the Dusks.

When everything was calm again, I saw a door appear at the edge of this platform.

 _Be careful. Beyond that door lies a completely different world. But_

 _don't be afraid._

Well, all in who's going in, I'm sure.

I waltzed up to the door and opened it, finding myself on a much larger platform.

As I wondered why this one was so much larger, I looked up and instantly got my answer.

Seriously, this Nobody was _gigantic!_ And all its tentacle appendages were really starting to make me uncomfortable.

I'd better just take this thing down before...

...hey, what?!

I suddenly found myself surrounded by these weird energy shackles and lifted into the air, just as this giant freak stretched over to me and stared me down with its oddly non-existent eyes.

As it reared its right hand back, obviously to throw a punch at me, I managed to break my right hand free of the shackles for a brief second and knock the Twilight Thorn back with a flying slash to its weird zipper face.

Even though the shackles reformed, I continued struggling as best I could. I'm not gonna let some Darkside ripoff take me down!

The Twilight Thorn came back quickly, stretching its arms out to grab me and toss me higher, almost as if it wanted to spike me into the platform.

Well, sorry, freak-o, but you're not getting that wish!

Noticing that I was free of my shackles, I spun around in mid-air so that I landed feet-first on the Twilight Thorn's fist, then leaping off of it and delivering a fierce overhead slash to its head that knocked it off the platform.

Before I could celebrate my victory, the platform suddenly started tilting over, revealing that mister giant freak was pulling it over to make me fall, clutching a huge sphere of energy in its hands.

As I fell through the void, I saw the Twilight Thorn get ready to throw that sphere at me. Not wanting to be on the business end of a Spirit Bomb, I threw Light Seeker for it, my new keyblade piercing right through it and making it blow up in the Twilight Thorn's face. It crashed down onto another platform as I landed gracefully in front of it.

Oh, hey, the head's exposed! I took that as my cue to go over there and whack it a few times.

Of course, it eventually picked itself up and began firing off bolts of black lightning at me. Thankfully, they were easy enough for me to dodge thanks to my agility.

This continued for a little while until I managed to get in close during one of its lightning hissy fits and whack its zippered face a few times, causing the zipper to unravel and reveal a little bulb thing.

Not taking any chances, I leaped in and slashed the bulb thing, destroying it and causing the Twilight Thorn to explode with so much pageantry, I almost thought it looked like fireworks.

Sadly, I didn't have any time to celebrate my victory, as a huge mass of darkness began to surround my Awakening station, as if it was some creepy horror monster.

I tried to fight it, but the darkness had me completely surrounded, and I couldn't see a thing.

Faintly, I could have sworn I'd heard someone calling my name.

As I tried to gaze through the darkness, I saw another platform far off in the distance, though this one was... for lack of a more useful word, _fractured_. What's going on here?

 _Who... are you?_

I gazed around, trying to find the source of this new voice. Who was here with me?

"Who are _you?_ " I asked.

 _I'm a brand new heart._

"Okay, but why are you in _my_ heart, of all places?"

 _Your light guided me here. I saw it shining in the distance, through the darkness that surrounds us._

"So, that's your Awakening station over there, right? Why is it broken?"

 _My heart is fractured. I know not why, but... what little I have left is slipping away._

Suddenly, I realized why this voice sounds like someone I've known for a long time, even though I've never heard him before.

"...Blake?!"

 _Yeah, it's me, sis._

"How are you talking to me if you haven't been born yet?!"

 _My heart is speaking to you. We made our connection earlier, before you came here. When we connected, I guided you here to your Awakening._

"Blake... why is your heart fractured?"

 _I couldn't tell you, sis. I have no idea._

I thought for a few seconds. If my little bro's heart was fractured, what would happen if it faded completely?

Then, a thought.

"Hey, Blake? Why don't you join your heart with mine?"

 _Huh?_

I reached out to Blake's Awakening station, concentrating as hard as I could. The cracked parts of the station shined with a bright glow and reformed as if nothing had ever happened to it.

"There we go. Now our hearts are _truly_ connected," I giggled. "Now nothing else is gonna slip away. And maybe, when you're finally born, you'll be strong enough to get back what already did."

 _Thanks, sis. I knew I could count on you._

Before I could respond, I began hearing another voice calling me.

* * *

"Lily?! Lily, wake up!"

Lily slowly opened her eyes and noticed that her parents were staring down at her, concerned looks etched into their features.

"Oof, that was a good nap," Lily sighed, yawning slightly before sitting up to greet Nick and Cornelia. "Is... everything okay?"

"We were worried when you didn't answer us," Cornelia replied.

Lily cast a glance at the clock on her nightstand; it read 6:12 PM. "Whoa, it's dinnertime already? Man, I must have been zonked out longer than I thought..." Lily quipped. "I just figured I'd relax until dinner, so I took a nap..."

Suddenly, everything came back to Lily, everything she'd experienced within her Awakening.

"Oh, mama, papa, you won't believe who I saw in my dream!" Lily giggled. "I got to meet Blake!"

Cornelia gasped in surprise. "You met your brother?"

"Yeah! Well, his heart, anyway, since he hasn't been born yet," Lily noted. "Okay, so I found myself in my Awakening station, and then a bunch of Nobodies tried to whack me, and..."

As Lily continued to excitedly tell her story to her parents, none of them noticed the black-hooded figure watching them from far away.

"So... this is where it begins."

* * *

Orube continued to pace around the tiled floor of the Congregation Hall, still confused as to why exactly the Oracle had summoned her here now of all times.

"It must have something to do with Organization XIII," Orube realized. Even sixteen years after Izanami-no-Mikoto had been silenced forever, it seemed trouble still found its way to the Earth like a magnet.

"Right you are, Orube."

Orube turned around and saw that Himerish had appeared in his usual spot, eyes closed as always.

"Your Majesty, what can you tell me about Organization XIII?" Orube proclaimed, cutting right to the chase. "Why do you believe they are such a threat?"

Himerish only replied with one sentence, but it made everything clear to Orube.

"They seek to acquire the power of Kingdom Hearts."

"K-Kingdom Hearts?!" Orube exclaimed. "But... didn't that boy seal off the door to darkness, and Kingdom Hearts along with it?"

"He did," Himerish answered. "But it is not the only route to Kingdom Hearts. Organization XIII wishes to become complete beings again, and they believe that attaining the power of the heart of all worlds will allow this. They release their minions, the Nobodies, into the worlds to cause as much chaos and devastation as possible."

"And all the hearts lost in the destruction..." Orube gasped. "They fuel the power of Kingdom Hearts..."

"Precisely," Himerish answered. "As Kingdom Hearts grows, so too does the weakness of the barricades the ancients placed around it. Nothing lasts forever, after all, and Organization XIII is prepared to take advantage of that."

"Then... what should we do?"

Himerish thought for a few seconds. "If we are to truly strike down the Organization, we must strike where they are most vulnerable... the past."

"But who can we send back?"

"Oh, I have an idea."

* * *

Another day, another boring science class.

That was Lily's opinion, anyway, as she sat down in her seat and prepared to try once again to outlast the class.

 _It's not my fault that the teacher is so boring he could even put an_ _ **elephant**_ _to sleep with his droning lectures on particles and matter,_ Lily thought.

Still, Lily decided to just go ahead and tough it out. Next period was her favorite class anyway, so it'd be worth the wait.

Suddenly, a piece of folded paper bonked Lily in the back of her head. She turned towards its source and saw Cardin silently cackling like he was a madman.

 _Ooh, so help me, I'll take him down a peg yet,_ Lily thought.

Fifteen minutes to the end of class, the teacher's droning was interrupted by a loud crash from somewhere in the room.

"Um, teach, did your shelf collapse again?" one of the students wondered.

The teacher, hearing that, moved for the back room to check, as that old shelf was always breaking apart and sending things flying.

Before the teacher could reach the doorknob, the door unexpectedly blew off of its hinges, thankfully missing the teacher, and crashed a few feet away.

The culprit turned out to be a group of Dusks, slithering into the room with unstoppable intent. Many of the students began to flee in blind panic as the Dusks approached.

Lily jumped from her seat and placed herself between her fellow students and the group of Dusks.

"You guys just get somewhere safe!" Lily exclaimed. "I'll take care of business!"

"Listen, flower girl, I don't care how tough you think you are, _nobody_ can stop those things unless they have a keyblade!" Cardin shouted. "You saw what they did to the mall last week, right?!"

Lily just smiled and summoned Light Seeker to her right hand, instantly silencing Cardin.

"Just get everyone out of here, Cardin," Lily replied. "You may be a stubborn bully, but I'm not gonna let you get hurt. You can do _that_ for me, right?"

Despite his own fears, Cardin nodded, moving towards the classroom doors while barking orders to the rest of the students.

Once Lily was alone with the Dusks, she raised Light Seeker in challenge. "All right, zipper boys, let's dance."

The Dusks creeped towards her, but Lily made short work of the ones that got too close with a few horizontal slashes.

After clearing a few more Dusks away, a new Nobody appeared, this one being a strange humanoid figure with extremely long arms that were lined with serrated spikes.

"Okay, new challenger," Lily quipped as the Assassin thrust its spiked arms towards her. Lily brought Light Seeker horizontally across her body to block the double attack before striking back to push the Assassin away.

After a few rounds of this, the Assassin began to glow with a shimmering light. Lily quickly moved, grabbing the Assassin by its long arm and tossing it into the last group of Dusks, where the Assassin self-destructed, inadvertently taking the Dusks out alongside it.

Despite the victory, Lily understood that if there had been Dusks here, there were more than likely more of them spreading through the school.

"I'd better find out who's responsible for this," Lily stated, dashing out of the room and into the chaos that had gripped the school.

Lily waded through the madness as best she could, helping evacuate any students and staff who hadn't yet while cutting down any Nobodies that tried to jump her along the way.

After fighting through a rather annoying horde of Assassins, Lily finally reached the gymnasium.

"Jeez-ums, when is this madness gonna end?!" Lily shouted, swinging Light Seeker to get rid of an errant Dusk. "How many of these freaks do I have to cut down?!"

"Simply amazing, little girl."

Lily looked to her left, towards a man shrouded in a black robe that was casually strolling through the wreckage of the gym. He had shoulder-length red hair slicked back into spikes and emerald green eyes.

"Okay, I'm just gonna cut straight to the chase," Lily proclaimed. "Are you commanding these Nobodies? And, if so, are you with the Organization?"

"Pretty smart for someone who only started high school," the hooded man responded. "This is my show now, keyblade girl. My name's Axel. Got it memorized?"

"What's your game, then, Axel?" Lily challenged. "What's the point of attacking the school?!"

"Oh, it's simple, really," Axel laughed. "We're trying to draw out the keyblade wielder. And I think we did a pretty good job, huh?"

Lily just grinned as she readied Light Seeker. "Oh, go ahead and psych me out all you want. I'm not scared of you freaks."

"You should be," Axel taunted. "But _please_ try and entertain me! I'm bored enough as it is!"

"I guess being part of a group of hooded wackos doesn't always alleviate boredom, eh?" Lily teased.

"Sometimes you gotta have a little fun," Axel proclaimed, summoning two spiked chakrams to his hands. "And in this line of work, I find a lot of fun to be had!"

Lily knew what Axel wanted, and brought Light Seeker into a battle stance. "All right, then, you asked for it! Just don't go crying back to your superiors when you get your butt handed to you by a 'little girl'!"

Axel was the first to go on the attack, tossing his chakrams, the Eternal Flames, like boomerangs, the spiked wheels cutting through the air and quickly returning to Axel with each toss. Lily batted the chakrams away each time they flew towards her, waiting for an opportunity to move in closer.

"Had enough?" Axel taunted.

"Not on your life!" Lily exclaimed, dashing in and juking around another chakram throw to land a few hits on Axel's prone form. Axel responded by sliding around to Lily's backside and spinning his chakrams in a spiral attack, the weapons surrounded by fire as he wielded them. Lily was surprised by the attack and knocked forward a few feet, but landed gracefully and none the worse for wear.

"Man, if only I had some water or ice magic right about now," Lily quipped before going back on the offensive, swinging multiple times to deflect Axel's chakrams until she could reach him, landing a few solid swings before finishing with a graceful overhead chop, causing Axel to slide back through the rubble.

"Don't make me mad!" Axel shouted, the Eternal Flames spinning around him and surrounding him with a tornado of raging flames. Axel then began to move closer to Lily while surrounded by his fire tornado, as if daring Lily to come any closer.

Lily took a few steps back to keep her distance before catching a glimpse at the ceiling above them. Smirking, Lily took one more step before flinging Light Seeker out so that it spun through the air and struck all of the fire sprinklers on the ceiling before returning to Lily's hand. The damaged sprinklers began to spray great deluges of water that covered the entire area of the fight, instantly dousing Axel's fire tornado and leaving him surprised.

Lily took advantage of the distraction to rush up and deliver a powerful four-swing combo to Axel's prone form, finishing by swinging her keyblade upwards and blasting Axel back with a field of ruby-red magical energy around her.

"Hmph, not bad, girlie," Axel conceded. "You fight quite well for a newbie."

"And don't you forget it," Lily laughed.

"But... should you really be worried about me right now?" Axel quipped, opening a corridor of darkness and retreating before Lily could piece it together.

For one terrifying moment, Lily's thoughts were still.

Then, the realization hit her like a speeding truck.

Not wanting to waste any more time than she already had, Lily bolted out of the gym and onto the streets of Heatherfield, hoping beyond all hope that she wasn't too late.

 _Mama! Papa! Blake! Please, please, PLEASE be okay!_

Lily flat-out ignored the chaos going on around her as she raced for home, focused only on making sure her family was okay.

"Move it!" Lily shouted as a horde of Dusks intercepted her path, only for Lily to obliterate them with one swing each.

A few more blocks, and Lily arrived at her home, only to find exactly what she feared; the house was in shambles, with various holes carved into the foundation of odd shapes.

Not wasting a second, Lily kicked the front door open, after which it fell off its hinges and clattered uselessly to the ground, and rushed in to find her parents.

"Mama?! Papa?!" Lily called.

A whooshing sound, followed by another sound Lily didn't want to imagine, drew her to the living room.

Lily was so shocked that she nearly dropped Light Seeker upon seeing the completely unmoving bodies of her parents. Nick even had the Kingdom Key clutched in his right hand, as if he'd attempted to fight off their attackers.

Her entire body shivering with fear, she rushed over and put two of her fingers to Nick's wrist. No pulse.

Lily didn't even want to cast an errant glance at the chest wounds that Nick and Cornelia had suffered, no doubt what had inevitably killed them.

Lily dropped to her knees, the tears beginning to fall, as she started crying, grieving for the loss of the people she cherished more than her own life.

Just then, movement caught her eyes. Flicking her tear-streaked gaze upwards, Lily saw another hooded figure slinking off.

"YOU!" Lily screamed.

The hooded figure turned to face Lily, grinning wickedly from under the hood. "Ah, the prodigal child. Sad to say that you are too late."

Lily felt something in her mind snap, and she let out a tortured wail that seemed to echo in the now-empty household. Nick's Kingdom Key suddenly disappeared and rematerialized in Lily's left hand.

"What?!" the hooded figure gasped.

Lily didn't give the figure a second to react, dashing in and wailing on him with both Kingdom Key and Light Seeker, pouring her sorrow into her attacks.

Before Lily could deal a decisive blow, however, the figure wrapped itself in a cloak of darkness and teleported away.

"Sorry, girl, but I must take my leave."

And with that, the figure faded away as if it had never been there in the first place.

A few seconds passed in agonizing silence before Lily walked up to her parents' dead bodies, clutching both of her keyblades tightly.

"Mama... papa..." Lily gasped, already on the verge of another breakdown. "I swear... _I swear_ I'll avenge both of you... you and Blake didn't deserve any of this..."

Before Lily could formulate any kind of plan, however, a bright column of light surrounded her, and she felt the strange sensation of her very being being transported to somewhere far away.

When she could see again, she found herself standing in the center of Candracar's Congregation Hall, which only served to confuse Lily, as Nick had always said that the only mortals allowed into Candracar were the Guardians of the Veil and wielders of the keyblade.

 _Did... did the oracle summon me?_ Lily thought, trying in vain to stave off the tears.

"Be not afraid, young one. You are indeed here at my behest."

Lily looked up to see the Oracle, Himerish, staring intently at her.

"No doubt you understand the threat that Organization XIII poses, my dear," Himerish proclaimed.

"Then why am I _here_?!" Lily shouted. "I need to be _out there_ , looking for a way to avenge mama and papa! I don't want them to have died for _nothing_!"

"Calm yourself, Lily," Orube responded. "I understand how you feel, but we must look at this situation carefully. Organization XIII is unlike any foe we have ever faced before."

"To that end, I have summoned you here to propose an idea," Himerish stated. "Organization XIII has grown far too powerful in this time frame."

Lily clutched Kingdom Key and Light Seeker tightly, trying to think of something she could do, until she caught on to something that Himerish had just said.

"Wait... did you say 'this time frame'?"

"Indeed," Himerish answered. "Lily, as the Oracle of Candracar, only I possess the power to do this, but I must be sure it is something you wish to do."

"Anything, your majesty," Lily immediately answered. "Anything to avenge mama and papa."

Himerish stood to his full height and raised his hands, calling his keyblade into existence. This keyblade had a smooth, cylindrical, grey shaft that tapered outward at both ends, a boxy guard, made up of two small, light grey boxes and copper rods, the base of the guard connected to the grip, and both sported several small indentations lining them. The teeth were in the shape of an angled "C", and the keychain token was the personal symbol of Candracar's ruling staff.

"Lily, I intend to send you back in time so that you may defeat the Organization before they can rise to power," Himerish proclaimed. "But I must warn you, as well. I will only be able to send you back. You must find your own way home once your mission is complete."

"I'll do whatever I have to," Lily proclaimed. "Mama and papa always raised me to be someone who never gives up, even when the situation is really bad."

"Well said, my dear," Himerish stated, raising Master Keeper above his head.

 **("Passion –opening version-" by Utada Hikaru plays)**

Bright chains of light surrounded Lily, eventually attaching themselves to her body as Himerish worked his magic. Lily closed her eyes and let the magic wash through her body, eventually feeling a sensation that she could only describe as her soul dissolving only to reconvene somewhere else.

The last words Lily heard as her vision temporarily closed down were...

"Good luck, Lily. This whole world is counting on you."

* * *

A whole year has passed since the city of Heatherfield and the world surrounding it was brought back from the depths of eternal darkness.

Nobody remembers what had happened on that fateful day. No one, that is, except the small group of people responsible for bringing the world back.

And one of those people was on his way to school now.

"Ugh, honestly, why do I _still_ have to take this wretched biology class?!" Nick Kelly, honorary Guardian of the Veil and wielder of the keyblade, groaned as he crossed through the gates to Sheffield Institute. "I just about lost my lunch when mister teach announced we were getting to dissection early... UGH..."

"Well, at least we're getting it out of the way, right?" the girl to Nick's left giggled. This was Cornelia Hale, Guardian of Earth and Nick's girlfriend of about a year. "I know it's your least favorite class here..."

"Thank god for that, says this observer..." Nick groaned, reaching out to hold Cornelia's hand.

Nick had actually been in love with Cornelia for a long time, though due to her then-ongoing relationship with Caleb, Nick could only watch from the sidelines. After a nasty breakup, Nick had entertained the idea of a chance with her, but had been separated from her and his other friends when Heatherfield had been swallowed by the darkness.

Near the end of his previous adventure, after the Guardians had been reunited, Nick had finally revealed his feelings to Cornelia, unsure if he'd ever get another chance. Thankfully, Cornelia had accepted his feelings, and the two of them had been going steady ever since.

As they walked into the school itself, Nick still caught some roving eyes staring his way with unbridled jealousy. As Cornelia was very popular at Sheffield, many students were honestly surprised that Nick and Cornelia had hooked up, and others were jealous that Nick had gotten to her before they could have.

 _Eh, teenagers will be teenagers, I guess,_ Nick thought.

Biology class was first for Nick that day, and he _definitely_ wasn't looking forward to it.

As the class continued, however, something strange actually managed to get Nick's mind off of dissection.

As Nick was gazing out the nearby window, he noticed a small black shadow slithering across the ground.

Nick knew that despite sealing off the heart of all worlds, Kingdom Hearts itself, the Heartless threat continued to roam, though there was apparently much less Heartless activity since Kingdom Hearts had been locked away.

Despite this, Nick hadn't found his world's keyhole yet, so until he could find it, he made it his mission to take down any Heartless that showed up before history could repeat itself.

After hastily excusing himself from the class, Nick rushed outside, following where he'd seen the shadow moving.

Once he'd reached the outdoor gym area, which was thankfully devoid of anyone but him, the shadow stopped and multiple Heartless spawned around him, mostly just the non-threatening Shadows and Soldiers.

"All right, dark boys, let's dance," Nick quipped, summoning the Kingdom Key to his hands as the Soldiers bum-rushed him.

Nick countered the jumping strike with a quick three-hit combo before finishing with a spinning slash around him that cut down any Heartless that tried to get close.

A few Neoshadows spawned as Nick continued to cut down the Heartless, but Nick wasn't surprised by this, simply keeping his cool as they approached.

When one of the Neoshadows attempted to leap through the air to catch Nick by surprise, Nick simply met the creature with a Hurricane Period, spinning through the air to slice the Neoshadow in half.

Nick smiled once the last Heartless had been vanquished, letting the Kingdom Key rest on his shoulder. "Nice to know I've still got the moves, huh?" Nick quipped, the question seemingly aimed at his keyblade, of all things.

Maylin had questioned why he'd been talking to his keyblade a lot lately. Haruka had actually been the first one to figure out that Nick was actually speaking to his deceased sister Marie, who this Kingdom Key had come from.

 _DANGER! DANGER! MOVE, NOW!_

Nick decided to obey his mind's abrupt orders, juking to the side just in time to avoid the spiked edges of a ring-like weapon that cut through the air just where he had been not seconds prior.

Going into a roll to pick himself up quickly, Nick readied the Kingdom Key for a fight, only to easily notice the black coat this new arrival was wearing.

Immediately, Nick began to fear the worst. After all, the last person he'd seen wearing that black coat had been...

"All right, who are you?!" Nick shouted.

Nothing but silence from the hooded figure. Nick decided to just take this freak down and worry about it once he had room to think.

Just then, the figure lifted his chakrams over his head and channeled fire energy into them.

"BURN, BABY!" Axel shouted, slamming his chakrams into the ground. This created a large ring of fire around the two of them, effectively trapping them where they were.

The ground under the two combatants transformed into a surface of magma and cinder, and even though Nick wasn't being burned alive (most likely due to his keyblade's power), he did feel his energy slowly draining.

 _Guess I need to beat this guy quickly,_ Nick thought, charging into battle.

Axel tossed his chakrams like boomerangs, though Nick simply ducked and weaved to avoid the sharp pinwheels before moving in for an attack of his own.

"You won't forget _this_!" Axel shouted, fire energy surrounding his body as he began to attack like mad, his chakrams whipping through the air from multiple directions and striking Nick multiple times before he could react.

After a few rounds of this, Axel leaped into the air before tossing his chakrams into the ground, this action causing jets of flame to shoot up from the ground and send Nick crashing to his knees.

"Oh, is the keyblade man upset because I'm beating him?" Axel taunted.

"Oh, don't think I'm done yet," Nick growled. "If you only knew what I've accomplished..."

"Hey, I know what you've done," Axel laughed. "And honestly, I'm not impressed!"

Axel took this opportunity to charge, knowing that Nick couldn't defend himself this time.

But just as Axel swung his chakram to end it...

"PAPA!"

A bright flash erupted from high above the battlefield, and Lily wasted no time in drawing both of her keyblades and slashing as hard as she could to intercept Axel's attack, pushing the fire-wielder back a few steps.

Lily landed gracefully on her feet, swinging both Kingdom Key and Light Seeker in a direct challenge to Axel.

"So, you found your way back, too," Axel quipped, as if he wasn't surprised in the least. "I guess you're tougher than I thought."

" _Stow it_ , you jerk," Lily growled. "You know _exactly_ why I'm here."

Not waiting for any sort of answer, Lily rushed forward, performing an X-slash with her keyblades that knocked Axel into the air. Lily followed quickly, the two attacking each other rather quickly, until Lily knocked Axel back to the ground with an overhead slash.

Pouncing on her chance, Lily fell back to the ground and drove both keyblades into Axel's chest, causing pillars of light to erupt from around Axel that cleared away the magma floor and allowed Nick to slowly regain his strength.

"Now _beat it_ ," Lily proclaimed. "I'm not in _any mood_ for you."

Axel did seem to realize that, understanding that if Lily was back here, that meant they had to change their plans. But, it wasn't anything that they couldn't handle, right?

"Well, this is where I take my leave," Axel stated. "Don't have too much fun without me, kiddies."

Axel summoned a corridor of darkness and disappeared into it, leaving Nick to wonder what exactly had happened.

Lily simply scoffed before turning back to Nick, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Nick asked, confused as to why Lily looked like she would start crying any second.

Before Nick could utter something to calm her down, Lily burst into tears and threw herself at Nick, clutching him tightly as if letting go would be the end of her.

Completely at a loss as to what was occurring, Nick simply hugged Lily back, trying as best he could to console the crying girl in his arms.

"It's... it's really you, isn't it?" Lily gasped. "I'm not seeing things?"

"What's wrong?" Nick asked.

Lily looked up at Nick. Yes, they were the same eyes.

"That's all I needed to know," Lily stated. "I should probably get going. I've got business to take care of. It was really nice seeing you!"

Before Nick could get any answers out of Lily, she had rushed away. Nick thought of something he had hear her say before she'd arrived to save him from Axel.

 _Did she call me 'papa'?_

"HEY, BUDDY!"

Nick spun around and noticed that Maylin Rae and Haruka Rose were running towards him, their keyblades already drawn.

"Hey, guys, been a while," Nick quipped. Ever since Izanami-no-Mikoto had been vanquished, Maylin and Haruka had returned to Candracar to continue their duties, seeing as how both of their home worlds had been destroyed by the Heartless. Even though all of the worlds that were taken had been restored after destroying Izanami-no-Mikoto, they still hadn't found their worlds, but decided to keep searching.

Occasionally, the two would drop by Heatherfield to visit, seeing as how they and Nick had formed an unbreakable bond over the course of their journey. Maylin in particular was very affectionate with Nick, despite knowing that he had a girlfriend now (in fact, it was Maylin who inadvertently pushed Nick into confessing his feelings to Cornelia in the first place), though thankfully Cornelia didn't seem to mind.

" _Far_ too long, in this girl's honest opinion," Maylin giggled.

"So, what brings the two of you here on a day like this?" Nick wondered.

Haruka sighed heavily, twirling her keyblade, Rumbling Rose, around in her right hand. "I wish we could say it was just to visit our friend, but... the Oracle requested your assistance, so we came to get you. The other Guardians are already there, too."

"Jeez, that bad?" Nick quipped. "Wonder what's up?"

Inwardly, Nick wondered if it had something to do with Axel and Lily, and why they were here of all places.

"Well, let's not keep the Oracle waiting, shall we?" Nick stated.

"That's my pal!" Maylin laughed as Haruka activated the device mounted on her wrist, surrounding all three of them with a bright sheet of light.

A few moments later, Nick found himself in the cockpit of the Gummi Ship, Maylin and Haruka's preferred method of interworld travel.

"Wow, you guys remodeled the Gummi Ship?" Nick quipped, noticing how different everything looked now.

"Well, when you're flying around in this thing for a year straight, you tend to get bored of the design," Maylin admitted. "So we basically said 'screw it' and completely remade our Gummi Ship! We refitted it with all the latest tech, including a _gigantic_ Navi-Gummi straight from Kiva herself, so now we can visit a whole lot more new worlds!"

"Honestly, it was pretty fun building a whole new ship," Haruka stated. "You should try it sometime, Nick."

Their conversation finished for now, Haruka planted herself in the pilot's chair and pressed a few buttons, the Gummi Ship roaring to life and coasting through the Lanes Between, a veritable hyperspace tunnel of pathways across the many worlds.

"Hey, I don't see any of the places we went to last time," Nick quipped.

"That's because they all went back to their original places when we beat miss hood," Maylin stated. "The worlds we've visited are still around, they're just back where they belong. Who knows, maybe we'll run into them again on our trip!"

Maylin surprised Nick by walking up to him and hugging him tightly. "I really missed you, buddy."

"I missed you, too, Maylin," Nick laughed.

"All right, we're here!" Haruka exclaimed. "Prepare for landing!"

* * *

"Still as majestic as ever," Nick quipped. "So, you two have just been hanging around here when you're not exploring?"

"Pretty much," Maylin stated. "Still haven't found our worlds yet, but we'll keep looking for as long as it takes."

"There's a _lot_ of worlds out there, and ours could be anywhere," Haruka admitted. "But we're persistent. You of all people should know _that_ by now, Nick."

Nick just nodded as the trio entered the Congregation Hall, where, just as Haruka had said, the Guardians of the Veil were already talking with the Oracle.

"We have arrived, your majesty!" Maylin proclaimed, catching everyone's attention.

Himerish stood to his full height, attention now on Nick and his friends. "It is good that you are here. Now, have you seen the queen yet?"

Naturally, Nick was confused. "Huh? Queen? You mean Elyon? I didn't know she was around here..."

"Yes, the queen has been quite busy of late," Himerish responded. "Therefore, it would seem that the task of instructing you falls to me."

"Hey, Cornelia, did Elyon ever tell you about this?" Nick asked.

"She just said she had some things to do," Cornelia answered. "I'm honestly not sure what it entailed..."

Before Cornelia could expound any further on this strange revelation, a horde of Dusks emerged from all around, along with a few Assassins.

"W-what the hell?!" Maylin exclaimed, immediately summoning her keyblade, Counterpoint. "What are _these_ things?!"

"I've never seen monsters like this before," Haruka quipped, summoning Rumbling Rose. "Stay on your guard, guys!"

Nick said nothing, summoning the Kingdom Key, but inwardly noticed that something about these creatures reminded him of Axel. Why, though?

Shaking it off for the moment, Nick rushed forward to meet one of the Dusks, slashing through it and causing it to explode in a shower of sparks.

Maylin reached for one of her spell coins and tossed it into the air. "Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!" Maylin shouted, striking the spell coin with Counterpoint as it fell down. The coin's ancient text flared with a bright glow, and bolts of lightning rained down from above, making short work of the Dusks she'd targeted.

Haruka danced around the stretchy bladed arms of an Assassin before jumping back in to strike multiple times, ending with an overhead swing that created a radial pink shockwave to destroy the Assassin.

But, in a rather disturbing twist of déjà vu, it seemed that more Dusks would spawn for every one that was vanquished.

"Oh, this is hopeless!" Maylin exclaimed. "Stop rapid-spawning, you freaks!"

Suddenly, an Assassin's arm stretched out and struck Maylin in the back, causing her to collapse to her knees.

But just before the Assassin could take advantage of this chance, a figure leaped out from the nearby shadows and struck with its own keyblade, easily destroying the Assassin. The figure continued to hop around the room and swing its keyblade to easily destroy Dusk after Dusk, thinning the horde quickly.

By the time the figure decided to stop moving, all of the Dusks had been destroyed. And now that the figure had stopped wildly jumping around, everyone else could see her as clear as day.

It was Elyon Portrait, High Queen of Metamoor and the Light of Meridian, her royal dress flowing from her movements and her Starlight keyblade held proudly in her right hand.

"Your Majesty?" Nick quipped.

Elyon quickly raised a finger on her free hand. "You can't tell anyone I was here, got it?"

Before anyone could question what she meant by that, Elyon swung Starlight hard enough to create a portal, most likely part of the Veil, and jumped through it, the rip in reality closing immediately after.

"Okay, I've gotta ask... WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?!" Maylin exclaimed, picking herself up. "We suddenly get swarmed by strange creatures, only for the queen to save us and then suddenly bail on us?! What's going on here?!"

"Yeah, Your Majesty, I think we'd all like to know that, if possible," Haruka replied. "Is there anything you can tell us?"

Himerish raised his hand, and an image of a Dusk popped into existence before him. "First, we must speak of the enemies you will encounter on this quest," Himerish proclaimed.

"At times, if someone with a strong heart and will, be they evil or good, becomes a Heartless, the empty shell that is left behind begins to act of its own accord," Himerish explained. "An empty vessel whose heart has been stolen away... A spirit that carries on even as its body fades from existence... for you see, Nobodies do not truly exist at all. Nobodies may seem to have feelings like us, but it is a mere trick of the mind. They only pretend to have hearts. Do not be deceived."

"Nobodies... they don't exist..." Nick whispered, taking in all of the information.

"Now then, the being you see before you is known as a Dusk," Himerish continued. "The most common form of Nobody. But, there are many others. Some larger, and with frightening and unique powers. Be vigilant, as on your journey, you will meet an alarming number of these Nobodies, who will all attempt to harm you. Still, they are nothing but empty vessels, destined to melt back into the darkness. However..."

The image of the Dusk disappeared, and in its place now stood three black-hooded figures. Nick immediately recognized the figures as similar to Axel, the one he'd fought before being summoned to Candracar.

"The beings you see before you now are much different," Himerish stated. "They are very powerful Nobodies, indeed, and they form a group called Organization XIII. It commands all of the lesser Nobodies. While Heartless rely on nothing but feral instinct, Nobodies can think and plan, and it seems they are working towards a goal of sorts, but what it could be, I even I am not sure."

Himerish glanced towards where Elyon had made her rather hasty exit. "Perhaps Elyon has sensed the danger and journeyed forth to fight it, and hopefully to answer the riddle of the Nobodies and Organization XIII."

"Hey, I just fought one of those Organization stooges before we came here," Nick stated. "He probably would have toasted me if this strange girl hadn't shown up and drove him off. Odd thing was, she was wielding _two_ keyblades, so that's what I'm confused about."

"Perhaps the reason for her being here is linked to whatever Organization XIII is planning," Himerish proclaimed. "Maybe she, too, knows of the threat they pose, and is shadowing them wherever they go in order to halt their plans."

"Then, whoever she is, we'd better find her fast," Nick stated. "I don't know if she's strong enough to handle them."

"Before you speed off on your quest," Himerish proclaimed. "I have a special gift for you, young master of the keyblade, to better prepare you for the journey ahead."

Himerish raised his hands and summoned his own keyblade, the Master Keeper. He moved it in wide circles, in arcs around his body, before aiming its teeth towards Nick. Before Nick could ask what was happening, his body was surrounded by a blinding white glow, magical energy swirling around him.

When the light faded away, Nick landed on his feet, wearing an entirely new uniform. Over his now navy blue shirt with a red patch in the center, he now wore a black hoodie, with silver pauldrons lining his sleeves. His pants, similar to chaps, were colored black on the outside, and a navy blue on the inside, lined with silver-white edging. Yellow straps crisscrossed around his pants, held together with a black belt. The pants featured red pockets with a black cross over them, his gloves were colored black on the outside and white on the inside with a yellow line running around them. Nick was also wearing large black-yellow shoes with silver soles, a zipper running across the top, and black straps holding them together with buckles here and there.

"Holy..." Nick quipped.

"Lookin' _good_ , buddy!" Maylin giggled.

"Oh, yes, he looks _very_ dashing, doesn't he?" Haruka laughed.

"Now, these are no ordinary garments," Himerish explained. "They will allow you to 'harmonize' your own energy with that of the world you are currently in to grant you amazing new powers. Also... well, take the orb."

A bright yellow orb appeared in front of Nick, who reached out to take it.

"Watch what happens."

Haruka suddenly disappeared from sight as Nick was lifted into the air by an invisible force, silver light surrounding his new clothes. After a second, Nick threw his arms outwards, and the silver light surrounding him exploded outwards, eventually reconverging onto his clothes.

When the light cleared, Nick had indeed transformed. Most of his clothes had turned to black and shades of a reddish-pink color, and a white fleur-de-lis emblem was imprinted on both of his pant legs. He was also wielding both his own Kingdom Key and Haruka's Rumbling Rose at the same time, and his eyes had shifted to Haruka's strawberry pink shade.

"Whoa, what just happened?!" Nick exclaimed, though in this form, it sounded like he and Haruka were talking at the exact same time.

"Your new garments will allow you to merge with your friends and combine your powers," Himerish explained. "Think of it as an extension of your new 'Harmonization' ability, except you can perform this transformation whenever you wish."

"Because Harmonization is specific to each world, right?" Valor Form Nick replied. "Since each world's energy is different."

"You catch on quick," Himerish proclaimed. "So, chosen wielder of the keyblade, that is your mission. Track down and destroy Organization XIII, and find the girl that saved you."

"Roger that," Valor Form Nick responded before splitting back into Nick and Haruka.

"What are you guys gonna do?" Haruka asked, glancing at the Guardians.

"We're gonna stick around, maybe try to find some more intel on this Organization," Will replied before cracking a smile. "We'll leave the hero work to you."

"You sure you guys don't mind sitting this one out?" Nick wondered.

"Hey, after what we just went through, I think we've _earned_ a break," Irma laughed, waving her hand. "Being a Guardian can really get stressful sometimes, even if it's worth it helping people out."

"We'll call you if we ever need backup," Maylin stated, spinning Counterpoint in her hand. "You know we're just a Gummi Ship away."

None of them knew that they were being watched from a faraway world by a group of black-hooded figures, none other than Organization XIII themselves.

"Doth my eyes deceive me?" Xaldin proclaimed. "Does this boy really possess the power to wield the keyblade? He's nothing but a mere child."

Xigbar merely chuckled. "Why not give him a chance? It means he's straight as

an arrow and pure of heart, unlike all of us here."

"He'd better be, or else he is of no use to us," Saix proclaimed.

"I truly hope he's enjoying himself on this little journey of his," Luxord stated, picking through the cards of his deck. "Perhaps he would like a hand to determine his fate."

"Hey, as long as it works in our favor, right?" Demyx responded, hoping the others wouldn't notice his nervous twitching. "We'll just let him do all the heavy lifting for now, then we'll all jump in if we have to!"

Xigbar, however, wasn't fooled. "Such bolds words from the likes of you. Are you saying that you'll volunteer to take care of business if and when things go wrong?"

Demyx sputtered a few times. "Huh? What, me? Oh, no, you've got the wrong guy. I don't think I'm comfortable with that..."

Xigbar turned in his seat and grinned. It was too easy to freak Demyx out.

"You act like you have a conscience or something," Xaldin taunted. "When was the last time any of us felt _anything_?"

"Truer words have never been spoken," Luxord admitted, letting his cards disappear for the moment. "I guess the fun will have to wait."

"You _do_ understand what happens to those who lose their purpose?" Saix stated, as if reminding everyone present of that fact. "They inevitably destroy themselves."

"Gentlemen. And ladies."

Larxene smirked at that. At least he didn't forget, unlike certain _others_...

"The hero of the keyblade has embarked on his latest quest," the leader proclaimed. "Make sure that it is something he will never forget. Now, go."

That said, everyone except the leader teleported away, leaving the leader by himself to contemplate on the journey ahead.

* * *

"And, just like that, the keyblade trio is off on a new adventure!" Maylin exclaimed once they had returned to the Gummi Ship.

"Problem is, I only see one other place we can go right now," Haruka stated, pointing ahead towards a structure that resembled a town surrounding a large castle.

Suddenly, the memories came rushing back to Nick. "Wait a minute, I think we know this place!" Nick exclaimed. "Like I could _ever_ forget what happened here... that's _gotta_ be the Blue Sky Kingdom!"

"Hey, yeah, it is!" Haruka gasped. "Well, let's not waste any time and check it out! Prepare for landing, everybody!"

* * *

At the very top of the castle tower, someone can be seen pacing around the viewing room, apparently waiting for a sign of something.

"I guess they really _did_ finish him off," Black Fang stated to nobody in particular. "And this castle isn't anything like I expected it to be. No shine, no nothing."

Black Fang slammed a fist into a nearby wall in frustration. "Now what's going to happen to our plan?!"

A strange sound, like glass shattering, caught Black Fang's attention, and he marched outside and noticed the shattered shards of a mirror lying on the ground.

His gaze traveled upwards, and he grinned as evilly as he possibly could.

* * *

"Whoa, this place looks amazing," Maylin gasped as the trio walked into the Castle Town Market. "Looks like everything's back to as normal as it gets around here."

"And especially considering that we've never actually been to the kingdom itself, just the castle," Haruka stated.

"And, if possible, I'd like to stay away from the castle for a while," Nick proclaimed, forcing the dark thoughts to the furthest corner of his mind. "I don't exactly have good memories attached to what happened there..."

A clattering of armor resounded, and the trio looked up to see a group of Soldiers running across the nearby rooftops before disappearing in a spiral of darkness.

"Yep, looks like we've got some fighting to do," Haruka quipped. "Let's see if we can find the Pretty Cures."

And so, the trio made their way through the Castle Town Market, making sure to check out everything they could. After all, it was their duty to investigate everything they could in a new area.

"Hey, hey!"

Nick was the first to catch a little fairy creature waving towards them. He knew that fairies were common around here, being that each Pretty Cure had a fairy companion to assist them.

"I see you've got some really interesting materials there," the fairy stated. "My name's Synthie. You wanna synthesize something, you just come to me!"

"I didn't know fairies could synthesize," Haruka admitted.

"To some of us, it's just a hobby," Synthie replied. "It's a great way to pass the time and sharpen our skills. Hey, how about I make you guys something with the materials you've got? On the house!"

Haruka smiled as Synthie brought out a list, most likely of what Synthie could make and what she'd need to make it.

"Hmmm..." Haruka scanned the list while Maylin checked the materials they currently possessed. "How about that one? Can you make one for each of us with these?"

"No problem, honey!" Synthie laughed, spinning her hands around and causing the materials to spiral around the little fairy until they eventually coalesced into three copies of a wrist-mountable amulet with crescent moon decorations embedded into it.

"Et voila!" Synthie proclaimed. "You just created the Moon Amulet! Raises magic skills by a good chunk, and since I _know_ one of you is a mage, it'll help you out tons in the long run!"

"Thanks, buddy!" Maylin giggled, mounting her Moon Amulet onto her wrist and feeling the extra magic power surge through her body.

A strange sphere of light swept through the area, passing right by the trio and stopping under an unaware Soldier. The sphere erupted into an upward geyser of energy, instantly taking down the Soldier.

"Um, what was that?" Maylin asked.

"It's the town's new defense system!"

The trio looked ahead and noticed a girl about their age standing there at the top edge of a nearby stairway. With her long blue hair and matching eyes, her impossibly frilly red ballerina outfit, and a rose-shaped top hat, she looked very stylish indeed.

"Oh, sorry, where are my manners?" the girl gasped. "My name's Tsumugi Orihara. I heard you guys were in town, so I figured I'd... oh, hey, watch out!"

Nick just barely summoned the Kingdom Key in time to block the attack that a Dusk was flinging at him.

Sure enough, the trio had been suddenly surrounded by Dusks.

"Oh, man, not this again!" Maylin exclaimed, readying a spell coin.

"Hey, Haruka? Maybe now would be a good time to give our new form a test run?" Nick offered.

"I was waiting for you to say that," Haruka laughed as she walked up to Nick and reached out to touch his shoulder.

Silver light exploded from Nick's clothes, causing Haruka to vanish, and when it cleared, Nick was back in Valor Form, wielding Kingdom Key and Rumbling Rose alongside each other.

"All right, let's rock!" Valor Form Nick proclaimed, leaping right into the action and attacking like crazy with both of his keyblades.

While this was happening, Maylin began lashing out with Counterpoint, striking each Dusk with her keyblade while adding elemental spells into the mix for flavor. Over the year since Izanami-no-Mikoto's defeat, Maylin had gotten much better in direct physical combat while also supercharging her attacks with her own spells to create some truly devastating moves.

Valor Form Nick swung both keyblades around, slaying Dusks left and right, before performing the finishing move, Brave Beat, a dual-bladed tornado attack that lacerated everything around him.

Once the horde of Dusks began to thin out, even Tsumugi jumped into the fray, striking out with many kick-based attacks to take down the last of the stragglers. During Tsumugi's attacks, Nick couldn't help but notice the black bands around Tsumugi's ankles.

"And clear!" Maylin exclaimed. "Stupid Nobodies don't know who they're messing with, eh?"

With the area calm again, Valor Form Nick split back into Nick and Haruka. "Say, Tsumugi, what are those things on your ankles?" Nick wondered.

He definitely caught the way Tsumugi sputtered slightly, even if she didn't know that he had.

"Um... well... I, I just..."

"Hey, we won't tell anyone who doesn't already know," Maylin proclaimed. "Scout's honor!"

"You were never in scouts," Haruka sighed.

"Th-that's beside the point!"

Tsumugi giggled at their antics before adopting a rather serious expression as the four of them made their way to a large dwelling on the outskirts of the market area. "A few years ago, before the Blue Sky Kingdom was taken by the darkness, I was in a... rather bad accident. I lost all feeling in my legs after that, and since I've been training to be a ballerina dancer for most of my life, it was devastating. But just recently, my new fairy partner Feng was able to give me these anklets. He feeds his own power into them and that power goes into my legs so I can use them again, as long as I have these. I... don't know how long it'll last, but I'm going to make the most of my time."

Nick had a feeling that there was a lot more to it than just that, but seeing as how Tsumugi clearly didn't want to explain any further, he decided not to push the issue and let Tsumugi tell the full story on her own terms.

"Well, here we are!" Tsumugi giggled.

"Wait, wait, how'd you know we'd be in town?" Maylin quipped.

"Oh, I'm a friend of the Pretty Cures," Tsumugi answered. "And they knew you'd be back eventually."

Tsumugi pushed open the door to reveal all five of the Happiness Charge Pretty Cures working at an expansive computer station.

"Welcome to the Blue Sky Kingdom Restoration Committee!" Tsumugi proclaimed, catching the attention of the Pretty Cures.

"Hey!" Cure Lovely exclaimed. "We missed you!"

"Well, looks like you guys are still in top form!" Cure Princess proclaimed.

"I knew it," Cure Fortune stated. "I figured you'd be back eventually."

"You should know us by now, Fortune," Maylin responded, hefting Counterpoint proudly. "Wherever there's trouble, we come a-callin'!"

"Speaking of trouble..." Cure Honey cut in. "Since you're here, we were hoping you'd help us with a problem we're having."

"Like we're gonna say no?" Nick teased.

Cure Fortune just smiled, crossing her arms. "I forgot who I'm dealing with here."

"Hey!" Maylin exclaimed.

Cure Tender took a few steps towards the still-open door. "Follow me to the bailey. I think there's something you three should see."

Cure Tender raced out into the streets, leaving the trio to catch up.

"So, Tsumugi-chan, how are your legs feeling?" Cure Lovely asked.

"Still as strong as ever!" Tsumugi giggled. "I really can't thank Feng enough for helping me out. I might still be able to achieve my dream yet..."

"Just keep on fightin'!" Cure Princess giggled.

Just outside the Committee HQ, a shadowy presence can be seen fleeing from sight, as if it had been observing events there.

* * *

"Take a look out there," Cure Tender proclaimed once they'd reached the bailey. Nick walked up to a nearby viewing point and peeked out, only to see a rather disturbing sight.

The Great Maw, the large canyon area surrounding the bottom level of the Blue Sky Castle, was absolutely flooded with Heartless of all shapes and sizes.

"We're trying to return the Blue Sky Kingdom to its former glory," Cure Tender explained. "Who knows, maybe even something better. We've got a lot of work to do, but I'm sure we can handle it. Only problems are _that_..."

Cure Tender then pointed to an empty valley just outside the Great Maw, where two Dusks could be seen creeping across the ground. "...and _that_. What exactly are those things?"

"They're Nobodies," Haruka explained. "They're basically the cast-off body of someone who turned into a Heartless."

"And the Nobodies are being commanded by this oddball group called Organization XIII," Maylin continued.

 _"You called?"_

Nick immediately summoned the Kingdom Key to his hands. "Who said that?!"

 _"You're doing well."_

 _"This calls for a celebration."_

At this, a horde of Dusks and Assassins began to spawn into existence all around the keyblade wielders.

"Okay, this is just getting stupid!" Maylin growled, sending a Thunder spell into the horde, scattering them around. "Why can't you zipper freaks leave us alone for one hour?!"

Haruka leaped over an Assassin as it stabbed out at her, vaulting over its head to slash it in the back so Nick could finish it off with a Blitz, a flying jump slash to the Assassin's face.

Cure Tender let a crowd of Dusks surround her, then began to gather energy into her palms. _"Tender Starfall!"_ Cure Tender exclaimed, slamming her palms to the ground and discharging a shockwave of light purple star-shaped projectiles, instantly vaporizing any Dusks who were caught in the wave.

While the Dusks began to thin out, a new Nobody appeared in the fray, a humanoid figure carrying four sharp swords.

"All right, new challenger," Nick quipped, rushing in to strike at the Samurai, only for it to immediately slash at Nick, forcing him to bring up his keyblade to deflect the attack.

Nick took a few steps back, then noticed the Samurai holding one of its swords up, completely still. Nick recognized the stance it was taking, and did the same.

Time seemed to stop around the two as they waited for their opportunity to strike.

Nick noticed the Samurai twitching, and made his move, striking out with a savage forward chop that destroyed the Samurai.

 _"The keyblade. Truly, a marvelous weapon. If only it were in more... capable hands."_

His task finished, Nick rushed back to the bailey and rejoined his friends in searching for the source of the voices.

"Show yourselves already!" Nick shouted.

And sure enough, a large flare of darkness erupted from high above, at the top of a far-off wall, and when it faded, thirteen figures wearing black coats could be seen. All of them except the leader were unmasked.

"All right, now we can settle this, weirdos!" Maylin proclaimed.

"What a shame," the leader proclaimed. "And here I was hoping we could be friends."

And with that, the Organization disappeared again, cloaking themselves in corridors of darkness to move on with their own plans.

"What, so they're just going to run away?" Maylin groaned. "What a gyp!"

Just then, another corridor of darkness formed in front of them, and a member of the Organization stepped out from it. He had piercing gold eyes, black hair with several grey streaks tied into a ponytail, and was wearing an eye patch over his scarred right eye.

"Hey, hey, what's the big idea?!" Maylin shouted, raising Counterpoint towards Xigbar.

"Oopsy-daisy," Xigbar laughed.

Nick took a few steps towards Xigbar, brandishing the Kingdom Key threateningly. "Move."

"Now, do you really think it's polite to shut me down like that?" Xigbar groaned.

"I said get out of our way, _or else_!" Nick shouted.

"As if," Xigbar replied. "You can talk all you want, but it won't do you any good."

"Then we'll _make_ you move," Haruka proclaimed, raising Rumbling Rose. "Sound fair?"

"Now, see, that would work on any other old dude," Xigbar stated. "'cept I'm not like that. I'm with the Organization, after all. Nothing 'any old' about me."

Nick just scoffed at that. "Yeah, that's _real_ tough talk for someone who just lounged on the sidelines and let his Nobody flunkies do the fighting for him!"

Xigbar sighed in exasperation. "You know, I think you've got the wrong impression."

"What, you gonna cry?!" Maylin taunted.

"As _if_ ," Xigbar shot back. "How about I remind you how tough the crowd you're dealing with really is?"

"I'd like to see you try," Nick growled.

Xigbar suddenly started laughing, as if something about Nick's expression amused him. "That's RIGHT! She always gave me that same exact look!"

Nick swung his keyblade threateningly, daring Xigbar to come closer. "I guess you think you can psych me out with your random babbling, huh?"

"Gee... I just don't know," Xigbar proclaimed. "Be a good boy, now!"

And with that, Xigbar opened another dark corridor and vanished into it.

"What a nutball," Maylin stated, twirling Counterpoint in her hands. " _Who_ gave him that same look?"

"I think he was just trying to confuse us," Haruka replied.

"Yeah, only one me!" Nick proclaimed.

As Nick turned to make his way back towards the Restoration Committee HQ, he suddenly felt a surge of power flow through his body and into his keyblade.

"You okay, buddy?" Maylin wondered.

Nick said nothing, simply holding the Kingdom Key aloft.

Energy began to gather around the Kingdom Key's teeth, before eventually absorbing into the ground blow Nick and creating the shape of a crown under his feet.

Wind began to swirl around Nick's body as he channeled his power, eventually forming into a large keyhole in the sky. Nick jumped back, spinning the Kingdom Key a few times before aiming and firing a beam of light from the keyblade into the keyhole, which flared brightly before vanishing.

"Whoa, what was _that_ all about?" Maylin wondered. "I thought we already sealed this world's keyhole."

"I think... I think I just opened a new gate," Nick stated. "Remember how you guys said that all the worlds we visited went back to their original places when we beat Izanami-no-Mikoto? Maybe that also meant that the pathways to them kinda got scrambled, too. I'll just bet that whenever _that_ happens, it means we've opened a new pathway to another world."

"And when that happens, we've gotta get back to the Gummi Ship, right?" Haruka replied.

"Pretty much," Nick stated. "It means that the worlds are calling."

"These Organization guys sound pretty tough," Cure Tender proclaimed. "Be careful out there, okay?"

"Naturally," Maylin quipped as Haruka activated the teleporters to return the trio to the Gummi Ship.

And, just as they had expected, there was a new reading on the map program.

"Hey, Nick was right!" Maylin exclaimed. "We're picking up a new world!"

Haruka, however, saw that something wasn't right with what she saw on the map.

"Wait a minute..." Haruka gasped, turning the Gummi Ship around and confirming what the map was telling her; both Heatherfield and Candracar had disappeared from the Lanes Between, a strange swirling vortex having taken their spots on the map.

"Hey, what happened to Heatherfield?!" Maylin exclaimed. "And Candracar, too, for that matter! They both just... I don't know, _vanished_!"

"Probably one of the Organization's tricks or something," Haruka quipped. "I guess all we can really do is keep adventuring until we can get them back."

So, with nowhere else to go besides back to the Blue Sky Kingdom, the Gummi Ship set sail through the Lanes Between towards the new structure out on the void. It appeared to resemble a large mansion surrounded by an equally giant forest.

"The rich and the restless, eh?" Maylin giggled.

"Well, shall we land and see what's up?" Haruka stated.

However, the Gummi Ship seemed to bounce off of an invisible barrier around the world.

Before Maylin could start venting about the slight, Nick noticed a smaller door just outside the world structure.

"Hey, look at that," Nick stated. "Maybe we gotta take care of whatever's in there to open the way to the world."

"Good thinking," Maylin stated. "Let's go, fearless pilot!"

Haruka just laughed as she piloted the Gummi Ship into the now-open door, and into a hyperspace-esque tunnel of light.

"Welp, through the tunnel and around the bend, who knows _where_ this crazy ride will end?" Maylin sang as they continued through the tunnel.

"I see the entrance!" Haruka exclaimed as a large keyhole of light formed far ahead of the Gummi Ship's path. "Full speed ahead!"

The Gummi Ship picked up speed and flew into the keyhole, coming out the other side into a large asteroid field.

"Incoming space rocks!" Nick exclaimed.

"Let's rock, guys!" Haruka responded, pressing the Big Red Button™ and transforming the Gummi Ship into its Highwind Mode. With their preparations complete, the Gummi Ship rocketed off into the asteroid field, weaving through the malevolent space rocks while firing their lasers on any they couldn't dodge in time.

After making it through the asteroid field, the Gummi Ship entered a strange structure. It was clear to all three pilots that the structures here were connecting the largest asteroids together, as if someone or something had used this area to set up a base of operations.

"Think it was the Organization?" Maylin wondered.

"Has to be," Haruka quipped as Nick manned the weapons systems to shoot down any Heartless ships that got too close. "I don't think the Heartless are smart enough to create something like that."

As the Gummi Ship made its way through the asteroid base, Nick continued to notice an odd presence on the ship's scanners. But every time he tried to get a good look, it vanished from sensor range.

"What was that?" Nick wondered.

"What's what?" Maylin asked.

After passing through the last of the large asteroids, an immense creature flew out from the shadows to face down the Gummi Ship.

"Holy crap, that's a new one!" Haruka exclaimed.

The odd creature began to lash out at the Gummi Ship, forcing its pilots to take evasive maneuvers. But for every direction the Gummi Ship dodged, the creature would strike at that point as well, forcing the ship to keep on its toes.

"Wow, this one's tricky," Haruka stated. "I haven't met a Heartless ship _yet_ that could outplay my Gummi Ship!"

"That's because it's not a Heartless ship," Nick proclaimed, pointing towards the symbol on the strange ship's hull. "That's a _Nobody_ ship!"

"Wait, _what?!_ " Maylin shouted. "Now there's Nobody _ships_ , too? Jeez, this nonsense _really_ needs to chill!"

"How about we just go Falcon on him and blow him out of the sky, then?" Haruka stated, punching the Big Red Button™ and causing the Gummi Ship to transform into Falcon Mode.

After managing to dodge another swipe, the Gummi Ship flew up and aimed for the Nobody ship's head.

"Now chew on _this_ , freak boy!" Nick shouted, firing off a powerful energy cannon shot that exploded on contact with the Nobody ship's head, creating a flare of light as the ship was torn to pieces, allowing the Gummi Ship to fly around the explosion and into another large keyhole, through the same hyperspace tunnel, and back out to the Lanes Between. The door they'd entered the asteroid base through shined with an otherworldly glow and vanished, and the barrier surrounding the world structure dissipated as well.

"So I was right," Nick quipped. "We must have to clear the routes connecting the world to be able to visit them in the first place."

"But why? It wasn't like that the last time," Maylin groaned. "What the heck changed?"

"Probably for protection," Haruka answered. "Maybe some strange force that guides these worlds sensed the threat that Organization XIII poses, and added to its defenses to make it harder for people who don't have a means of interworld travel like us."

"It's really the only thing that makes sense, honestly," Nick replied.

"Well, then let's get down there and see if any of those hoods wants a beating," Maylin proclaimed, clenching her fist tightly.

"You know it, girl," Haruka laughed. "All right, everybody, prepare for landing!"

But as the Gummi Ship descended towards the floating islands, Nick caught a glimpse of something odd on the very edge of the Lanes Between.

Upon as close of an inspection as he could make with the distance between them, he noticed that it was someone completely clad in dark blue armor, riding on a really strange-looking glider.

 _What the heck? I thought you had to have a Gummi Ship to travel through the Lanes Between?_ Nick wondered. _Eh. I'll worry about that later. Right now, it's time for our new journey to begin._

But Nick couldn't get the strange sight out of his mind, an odd feeling passing through his mind that he would eventually meet whoever this person was.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New Drive Form acquired!_

 **Valor Form**

 _Form Focus:_ Merge with Haruka's spirit to attain great strength.  
 _Drive Gauge Points Used:_ 3 **  
** _Advancing Form Ability:_ **High Jump** (Jump higher than you ever could before.)  
 _Action Abilities:  
_ **X-Split:** Delivers a cross attack to any surrounding enemies.  
 **Spiral Blow:** Delivers a swift spinning attack when surrounded.  
 **Over the Horizon:** Leap towards faraway targets with a jumping attack.  
 **Valor Shot:** Deals a powerful ground combo finisher to knock a target off its feet.  
 **Brave Beat:** Deals a powerful ground combo finisher to successively attack several targets at once.  
 **Spiral Strike** : Unleashes a powerful finishing combo move that pierces through a single target.  
 **Sonic End:** Unleashes a powerful finishing combo move in a rapid midair attack to several targets at once.  
 **Retaliating Slash:** When knocked down, quickly regain balance and counterattack.

* * *

On the next episode:

Maylin: And just like that, our next adventure has begun!

Haruka: And why do I get the feeling we've been to this world before?

Maylin: Doesn't look familiar to me. We landed in a _mansion_ , of all things! And a pretty gigantic one, at that!

Nick: I'm with Haruka on this one. I've seen that crest somewhere before, I just _know_ it...

Haruka: See, he agrees with me. Maybe it's a similar world, but a place on it we haven't explored yet.

Maylin: Well, then let's go! We've got an adventure to tackle!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "The Last Remnant"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	2. The Last Remnant

As the Gummi Ship descended towards the world ahead, Nick caught a glimpse of something odd on the very edge of the Lanes Between.

Upon as close of an inspection as he could make with the distance between them, he noticed that it was someone completely clad in dark blue armor, riding on a really strange-looking glider.

 _What the heck? I thought you had to have a Gummi Ship to travel through the Lanes Between?_ Nick wondered. _Eh. I'll worry about that later. Right now, it's time for our new journey to begin._

But Nick couldn't get the strange sight out of his mind, an odd feeling passing through his mind that he would eventually meet whoever this person was.

"Everything okay there, buddy?" Maylin wondered.

"I think so," Nick replied. "I just thought I saw something way out there, something weird. It looked like someone in a suit of armor was flying through the Lanes Between. Is that weird to either of you?"

"Maybe it might have been another keyblade wielder," Haruka answered. "I'm sure there were keyblade wielders who were able to move through the Lanes without a Gummi Ship. But... it's supposed to be dangerous without a vessel, because of how close the light and darkness looms around here."

"You think the armor is protecting the dude-slash-dudette?" Maylin wondered.

"Only thing I can think of," Haruka replied. "Now that you mention it, one of the older tales I've heard mentions a bunch of keyblade wielders who clad themselves in powerful armor while they traveled between worlds. That's probably how they got around, since it was only recently that the Oracle came up with the idea of the Gummi Ship."

"With some ideas from yours truly, of course!" Maylin laughed.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Haruka teased.

Nick just smiled as his companions' bickering as the Gummi Ship approached the world. _Still haven't changed even after all this time._

If Nick had paid attention, he would have noticed that Maylin seemed surprised at the revelation.

 _Wait, an armor-wearing keyblade wielder?_ Maylin thought. _No way... that couldn't be_ _ **her**_ _, could it?_

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** Not expecting a strange mansion to be their first stop, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka decide to explore while clearing out the Heartless threat. But upon discovering that this is a world they've been to before, albeit a world that has changed immensely since last they were there, how will they decide to help a certain despairing heiress when she needs it the most, and how does Organization XIII possibly fit into all of this?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World:** All right, for the first stop, we're returning to Rooster Teeth's anime-esque showcase known only as _RWBY_. Timeline-wise, this starts at and then skews off from episode seven of volume four, "Punished". Everything in canon up to that point happened here, too, with the only exception being the obvious White Rose (Ruby/Weiss ship). And, let's be perfectly, brutally honest... this chapter is going to be quite a bit of catharsis for me due to a certain _father_ person... yeah, the FNDM was totally spot-on about him. Let's just start before I slip into a nerd rage...

* * *

Episode 2: The Last Remnant

As they did every time, the trio began to rake their gazes around their surroundings, trying to glean information about the world they were currently standing in. From the looks of things, they appeared to be standing in an office inside of a gigantic mansion, like you would see rich people living in. A peculiar snowflake-shaped crest was emblazoned on many objects around them, though it wasn't initially registering as familiar.

"Okay, was not expecting a mansion," Maylin quipped, trying to think of why that crest looked so familiar.

"It seems like we've got a lot of ground to cover, so we should probably get moving," Haruka replied.

Nick simply balanced the Kingdom Key on his shoulder, unable to shake the feeling that he knew something about this place.

Just then, it came to him. Where exactly he'd seen the crest before.

"Guys... that crest is of the Schnee family. You know, _Weiss_?" Nick stated.

"Holy crap, does that mean we're back on Remnant?" Maylin gasped.

"If so, why exactly did we get taken to what I can only assume is the main manor of the Schnee Dust Company?" Haruka wondered. "And how much time passed since our last trip here?"

"Aw, man, that probably means we missed the Vytal Festival Tournament!" Maylin groaned. "I wanted to see Team RWBY kick some backside!"

In their discussion, the trio hadn't noticed a group of strange Heartless slowly approaching them, slinking through the shadows in hopes of staying unnoticed.

Maylin perked up when she heard an odd slithering sound from just off in the distance.

"Security, we have intruders!"

Nick spun around to notice a threesome of suited figures just down the next hallway, no doubt security agents for the manor. And they were all focused on them.

"Oh, crap, we're busted," Maylin groaned.

"Come on, silly, we can take _them_ ," Haruka responded, summoning Rumbling Rose to her right hand.

Just as Nick raised the Kingdom Key in defense, he realized that the three agents were no longer focusing on them, but a group of Heartless that had ambushed them, looking like little blue monsters dressed in ceremonial Chinese robes and armed with freakishly-long claws.

"Oh, great, not those things again," Maylin growled, quickly summoning Counterpoint. "I really hoped I'd never have to deal with them. They're a PAIN IN THE ASS!"

"Those things are Nightwalkers," Haruka explained to Nick, getting him up to speed on the new Heartless type. "Obviously, they have huge hurty claws, but that's really _all_ they've got, so try to stay in long range."

"Ooh, like _this_?" Maylin giggled, charging for the pack of Nightwalkers and raising Counterpoint.

" _Force, know my plight! Release the light! WIND!"_ Maylin exclaimed, striking a spell coin and creating a torrent of wind gusts around the Nightwalkers that acted as razor wind, slashing at the Heartless and taking two of them out.

The last remaining Nightwalker rushed forward and swiped at one of the agents with its exaggeratedly-large claws, but Nick was over there quickly, swiping upwards to deflect the overhead claw strike before lashing out with a sideways chop to knock it back, finishing off with a leaping slash that destroyed the Nightwalker.

"You guys okay?" Nick asked, addressing the security agents.

"We should be," the first agent stuttered, still slightly shaken from the ordeal. "What manner of nightmare were _those_ things?!"

"Heartless," Maylin quipped automatically, as if this was something she'd explained a thousand times. "Monsters born of the darkness of people's hearts. They're not attracted to negative emotions like Grimm are, but they're still bad news."

"I should have figured they'd be here," Nick sighed.

"Aren't they supposed to, you know, just _give up_ now that they can't swallow this world in darkness?" Maylin wondered. "We locked the keyhole, didn't we?"

"I'm sure there's just less Heartless than last time, at any rate," Haruka stated. "Remember, the Heartless are darkness made real, so as long as there's darkness in every heart, we can't truly vanquish them."

At this point, the agents suddenly remembered why they'd stopped the trio in the first place. "Say, why _are_ you three here?" the second agent asked. "How did you slip past our security?"

Maylin laughed slightly at that. "Ah, blame the Gummi Ship. We had no idea where it was going to send us when we got here."

The first agent gasped loudly when he noticed the Kingdom Key in Nick's right hand.

"Oh, that would explain it," the first agent proclaimed. "You're the bearers of the keyblade, aren't you?"

"Nailed it," Maylin giggled.

The third agent radioed his superior, now that the coast was clear. "Boss, we drove the intruders away. The sit-rep is all clear."

"Just be careful while you're doing whatever it is you're doing out there," the first agent stated. "If those Heartless freaks are anything like the Grimm, we wouldn't want to get wrapped up in such chaos."

"Well, don't worry, that's what we're here for!" Maylin proclaimed rather heroically.

As the three agents went back to their normal patrol routes, a shadowed figure continued to watch from the darkness, the cloak it was wearing shielding it from any prying eyes who just happened to be close by. As the figure contemplated, it decided to see how events played out as it slipped back into the shadows, as if it had never been there in the first place.

* * *

"Okay, here's my question," Maylin proclaimed after about a half-hour exploring the manor. "WHERE IS EVERYTHING HERE?!"

"Seriously, Maylin?" Haruka groaned. That was the fifth time she'd said that or some other colorful variation of the phrase. "How many more times are you going to say that?"

"As many times as it takes!" Maylin shot back. "I really thought we were gonna get dropped off at Beacon Academy!"

"And, back to the question I brought up earlier, how much time passed here since the last time we were around?" Nick stated. "Things are probably different here than in Vale, since, if I remember correctly, the Schnee Dust Company is somewhere in Atlas."

"Oh, just wonderful," Maylin groaned, casually swinging Counterpoint to destroy a Shadowulf that had jumped them. "That means we're gonna be here for days..."

Nick couldn't help but silently chuckle at Maylin's antics. She was never the patient type, after all.

"Let's just keep looking," Nick replied. "I'm sure we'll run into something we know."

As luck would have it, a familiar sound coming from a nearby room drew the trio's attention.

"Is someone sword fighting in there?" Maylin wondered. "I can hear the swishing, and it's pretty loud."

Nick, deciding to take the chance, walked up to the door in question, putting his ear to it so he could listen for the source of the familiar sound.

After about two to three minutes, he heard a voice.

"Almost got it... no, I can do this..."

And it was definitely a voice he recognized, too.

Inside the room in question, one Weiss Schnee focused her efforts once again, determined not to falter in her summoning practice. It was the last thing she wanted to finish before she plotted her escape.

"I _can_ do this..." Weiss whispered, trying her best not to let her conflicting emotions get the better of her, not after what had just happened.

Weiss' concentration was temporarily disrupted when she heard voices coming from just outside the door to her room. This immediately set her on edge, and she raised Myrtenaster in defense. She didn't immediately recognize the voices, so she was ready to attack if need be. _Dust damn it all, if that's Whitley again, I swear I'm going to..._

"What's up, fearless leader?"

Weiss froze. That voice... no, it couldn't be.

"H-hello?" Weiss tentatively asked, hoping it was who she thought it was.

"Weiss?" Nick answered. "Weiss, is that you?"

"N-Nick?" Weiss gasped, rushing to the door even though she knew it was locked from the outside.

"Weiss, can we come in?" Nick called back.

"The door's locked!" Weiss exclaimed.

Nick simply grinned. " _Locked_ , you say... Weiss, stand clear of the door."

After hearing footsteps from the room to confirm Weiss had done so, Nick raised the Kingdom Key towards the door, a circle of light shining around the teeth of the blade. After about a second of windup, a beam of light erupted from the Kingdom Key, easily undoing the lock and allowing the door to open by itself.

Nick, Maylin, and Haruka crossed into the room, making sure to close the door behind them so as not to arouse any suspicion from unwanted eyes. Nick had barely taken three steps into the room before Weiss had thrown herself at him, sending both of them crashing to the ground.

"Whoa, Weiss, what's with the sudden hug?" Nick quipped once he had recovered from almost getting the wind knocked out of him.

"I thought I was never going to see you again!" Weiss exclaimed. "I thought... I thought I'd never see _any_ of my friends again..."

Nick easily picked up on the inherent sadness lacing Weiss' sentence. Almost immediately, he knew something had happened since the last time they'd seen each other.

"Weiss, we're probably going to be here for a while, so if it's not too much trouble..." Nick started. "Maybe you could explain what's happened since we've been gone?"

After picking herself up and apologizing for being so emotional (Nick believed Ruby's influence had something to do with it), Weiss walked over and sat down on her bed, looking out the nearby window as she began to recount everything that had occurred.

According to Weiss, it had been exactly seven months since the strange incident where Team RWBY, alongside all the friends the trio had made along their journey, had been summoned by Himerish to help defeat Izanami-no-Mikoto once and for all. Maylin was indeed miffed that they'd missed the Vytal Festival Tournament, but was quickly shocked into silence when Weiss revealed that due to a group of powerful villains, two promising Huntresses had been killed and Beacon Academy had fallen in the ensuing conflict.

Beacon Academy had fallen. The shock was palpable to the trio, who believed that as long as Beacon Academy held true, the kingdom of Vale would be safe.

Weiss went on to explain everything that she had borne witness to since returning to her home here in Atlas, making sure not to leave anything out. Of note, Weiss actually cringed at the almost murderous expression coming from Nick after she told him of what her father had done.

"You okay there, fearless leader?" Maylin asked. She, too, had noticed Nick's imminent rage at the inexcusable actions of Jacques Schnee.

"That... that _son of a bitch..._ " Nick growled, suddenly wanting to go find Jacques and teach him a painful lesson.

"Down, Nick," Haruka responded. "Blindly lashing out to beat the jerk's teeth in won't do us any good right now. We just need to find a way to get Weiss out of here before we do anything else to the contrary."

"Is there... anywhere specific you want to go, Weiss?" Maylin asked. "Maybe... maybe you want to go see Ruby?"

Maylin silently chuckled at the blush that popped up on Weiss' face at the mention of her girlfriend.

"If I'm being honest with myself... I miss her," Weiss admitted. "Ruby did something I never thought anyone would do... she melted that ice wall I built around myself. Thing is, I have no idea where she could be, and considering the wireless network has been down ever since the CCT tower was compromised, I don't even know if we can get in contact with her..."

"We... might have a way to help you there," Maylin quipped. "We just have to get you out of here first."

Just then, a strange wind blew through the admittedly spacious room. Weiss immediately tensed up, as she knew her windows were closed. So where had that odd wind come from?

"WEISS, WATCH OUT!" Maylin screamed, and Weiss decided to listen, diving away just as a strange swarm of shadows flew through the spot where she had just been.

When everyone in the room was able to size up their attacker, they saw a large twister-like formation of demonic-looking red-eyed Shadows, all clumped together and spinning violently like a tornado.

"Oh, not _this_ stupid thing again," Maylin growled, summoning Counterpoint to her hands. "I _still_ have bad dreams about what the last one did to me!"

"Then let's take it down before it gets that chance," Haruka replied, summoning Rumbling Rose.

The dark twister undulated through the air as it approached the three keyblade wielders, as if appraising its opponents for a moment, before twisting around and lunging for them.

"Back, twister boy! _Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!_ " Maylin shouted, swinging Counterpoint to strike one of her many spell coins. The coin's ancient text flared brightly, and a bolt of lightning dropped down from the sky to strike the very center of the Demon Tower's mass, spreading out in multiple directions to cause more damage.

With the Demon Tower momentarily stalled, Maylin rushed in to attack, landing three concrete slashes against the twister before completing the combo with her new finishing move, Magic Hour, throwing her hands to the sky and causing a trio of powerful magic orbs to spiral around her and damage the Demon Tower further.

 _She definitely took my advice to heart,_ Nick thought as he leaped away from the Demon Tower's lunge to slash at it himself. _Good to know._

Haruka wasn't far behind Maylin, slashing at the Demon Tower before it could recover, though the twister eventually moved away before diving into the ground and creating pools of darkness in random spots. Every couple seconds, great torrents of those demonic red-eyed Shadows would surge upwards from the pools, forcing the trio to stay on their toes.

Weiss, meanwhile, continued to dive around the room, using the interval between each jump to fire off an elemental spell from Myrtenaster, keeping the Demon Tower locked in its place.

After a few more whacks, the Demon Tower suddenly stopped and began to spin around even faster. While it did, dozens of Shadows began to spawn all around the room, the Demon Tower drawing them into itself to increase its mass.

"Oh, what nonsense is _this_?!" Maylin exclaimed. "The last one didn't do this!"

The super-sized Demon Tower spiraled around the three keyblade wielders before lunging straight for Weiss. Almost on instinct, the heiress planted Myrtenaster's blade into the ground, creating a gigantic glyph on the floor in front of her.

One flare later, a large, glowing armored knight appeared in front of Weiss, slashing out with its oversized sword to stop the Demon Tower's charge cold. The sheer force of the two colliding was enough to completely shatter the bedroom windows in the process.

This still didn't seem to be enough to stop the Demon Tower, as still more of those red-eyed Shadows spawned, all of them being drawn to the Demon Tower.

"All right, enough of this!" Maylin exclaimed. "Haruka, can I bust out the super spell already? I've been itching to do it again since we wasted Izanami-no-Mikoto!"

Haruka simply shrugged, even as she dodged the Demon Tower as it flew by her. "Hey, I'm not gonna stop you. Be my guest and fry this thing already."

"YAY!" Maylin laughed before reaching into her pocket and pulling out one of her patented "super spell coins". Most of Maylin's spell coins had either been gifted to her by the Oracle or just found in random places, but these ones were different. These "super spell coins" were developed and created by Maylin herself, having thought of creating a super-powerful spell or two to keep as a trump card against a particularly rough enemy, like the massive spell she had used against Izanami-no-Mikoto not too long ago.

"Watch and learn, Nick," Haruka giggled. "You're going to love this, I assure you."

Maylin twirled Counterpoint around in dramatic fashion before tossing the super spell coin into the air. _"Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! THUNDAJA!"_ Maylin shouted before striking the coin.

A circle of light beams surrounded the Demon Tower as it continued to swirl around. Before it could think to hatch an escape plan, multiple bolts of lightning began to bombard it from all sides before three wicked thunderbolts cracked down all at once, followed by another bombardment of regular lightning bolts, and finishing with one final, bluish-white thunderbolt surging down into the Demon Tower and causing a great explosion of electricity that utterly disintegrated all of the demonic Shadows that made up the Demon Tower.

By the time the barrage had ended, only the Demon Tower's core was left, floating helplessly through the room. Weiss put an end to the Demon Tower's core by having her summoned knight deliver one final slash that bisected the core and made it explode into wisps of darkness.

"And KA-BOOM!" Maylin shouted before falling to her knees to catch her breath. The biggest reason Maylin had decided to save her super spell coins for a finisher or a trump card was because of how much it drained her energy after using one. These _were_ extremely powerful spells, after all, and despite her experience and magical prowess, Maylin was still learning more and more about magic.

A surprised gasp caught everyone's attention, and they all turned to the door to see Weiss' butler Klein standing there, in the now-open door, with a disbelieving look on his face.

Nick immediately shifted back into a battle stance, assuming that Klein had been sent by Jacques.

Weiss simply waved to calm him down. "It's okay, Nick. Klein's probably the only person here besides the three of you that I would trust with my life. Unlike my father, Klein has always supported me."

"I assume you have made your choice?" Klein proclaimed, his surprise quickly fading to a knowing glance.

"Yes, Klein, I have," Weiss answered. "To be frank, I'm actually _glad_ that I'm no longer the heiress to this company. Father can't control me anymore."

"Trust me, Klein, we'll make sure Weiss is safe," Maylin put in. "Weiss won't have to feel like she's a prisoner in her own home any more if we have something to say about it."

"Then I wish you the best," Klein replied as Weiss walked up and hugged him. "If you see miss Winter, tell her that I still miss her."

"I will, Klein," Weiss responded. "Take care of yourself."

Nodding in approval, Klein made his way back to where he had come from, leaving Weiss to her thoughts.

"We should probably get going now," Weiss proclaimed. "This may be our only chance."

"But how do you propose we beat it?" Maylin wondered. "Security's probably pretty tight around here, and the only reason those guards from earlier let us off was because we saved them from the Heartless!"

"Klein told me about a secret pathway that we can use," Weiss replied. "We should get there quickly."

Nothing more needed to be said. After Weiss gathered a suitcase to carry some of her possessions for the trip, the quartet immediately made their way down the hallways towards the library, where said secret passage awaited.

Alas, it wouldn't be anywhere that simple.

When they crossed into the library, just inches from Weiss' freedom, they were greeted by three of the manor's security agents...

...with Jacques Schnee himself standing in the center of the room.

Weiss immediately went on the defensive, ready for anything Jacques would try. She wasn't going to let him walk all over her any longer.

"It seems I haven't done that well of a job of keeping you in line, apparently," Jacques proclaimed rather condescendingly.

"You can forget it, _father_ ," Weiss growled, purposefully adding a bit of venom to that last. "I won't be your puppet on a string any more. You disinheriting me basically means you lost anything you can use to control me."

Jacques sighed heavily. "Why do all my attempts to reach you fail? It's no wonder you and Winter get along so well. You both refuse to listen to my authority."

"It's not _authority_ , it's _control_ ," Weiss corrected. "You just want me to kowtow to your selfish wishes and play the role that _you_ fabricated for me. Well, _no longer_. I'm _through_ bowing to you!"

Jacques moved his right hand to his belt buckle, unsheathing his own rapier, Schwarzdorn, and pointing it threateningly at Weiss.

"I see there will be no more persuading you, then," Jacques proclaimed. "Very well. Then I have no choice... but to put you in your place myself!"

Jacques rushed forward with every intent of seemingly skewering Weiss, but Nick was over there in a flash, slicing Kingdom Key through the air to stop Jacques' attack cold.

"Forget it, Jacques," Nick growled. "You're not touching her."

Jacques leapt back, sizing up his new opponent, before laughing mockingly. "Even you would stand against me, keyblade bearer? I would have expected better of you."

"We're not in the mood for any of your condescending crap," Maylin shot right back, raising Counterpoint. "So don't even bother."

"I absolutely _despise_ people like you, Jacques," Nick proclaimed. "All you care about is winning, even if you have to abuse everyone beneath you to do so. And don't think of denying it, because Weiss told me everything. Honestly, why do you think that just because you married into the Schnee name you can take control of something that was _never_ rightfully yours to begin with?!"

"Don't talk as if you know how this company works, boy," Jacques snarled.

"I don't _need_ to know how this company works to see how _you_ work," Nick challenged. "Even under all the false pretenses you put up to appease the general public who _depend_ on your company's resources to simply _defend this world_ , you're just a power-hungry dictator who only cares about himself. For god's sake, look at what you did to your own _daughter_ , simply because she told you the truth! Talk about not being able to stand the heat!"

"This isn't your family, boy," Jacques stated. "You're too young to even know what family _truly_ means, anyway."

Maylin and Haruka suddenly tensed up, realizing that Jacques had just unknowingly crossed a dangerous line. Even now, over a year later, the territory of Nick's family, particular his deceased sister Marie, was still a twitchy subject.

"I'm sorry, _what was that_?" Nick growled in a low and hateful voice.

"Don't presume you automatically understand what family is all about because you took the word of a rebellious _brat_ over the obvious authority figure here," Jacques responded.

"I'm warning you, Jacques, you're treading on _dangerous ground_ here," Maylin proclaimed, knowing exactly what would happen if Jacques kept up his tirade.

"I don't care _what_ I have to tread on," Jacques proclaimed. "You don't know _anything_ about family, boy."

Once Haruka saw Nick's free hand beginning to shake, she wisely began to step backwards, motioning for Maylin and Weiss to do the same.

Jacques simply raised Schwarzdorn in preparation, only to be utterly blindsided when Nick rushed towards him so swiftly he appeared to blink out of existence for a second, savagely slashing the Kingdom Key across Jacques' chest. A small part of Nick's mind wondered why he seemingly hadn't done any damage despite the ferocity of the attack, but Nick chalked it up to Jacques' Aura.

"You have _no idea_ what you just stepped in, you son of a bitch!" Nick shouted, lashing out with multiple strikes, intent on causing as much damage as he could.

A fierce overhead strike sent Jacques cartwheeling to the ground.

"For your information, jackass, my family is more precious to me than anything!" Nick screamed as he leaped over to land more blows on Jacques, not giving him a second to react or chance to break out. "My sister sacrificed her _very goddamn existence_ without a second thought to save the worlds she loved so much, and she did it so I could be happy! How _fucking DARE_ you insinuate that I don't know anything about family?!"

Nick continued to assault Jacques with everything he had, unleashing all the rage and sadness he'd kept in over the issue of Marie.

"In fact, if it wasn't for what Marie did, this world probably wouldn't even still _be here_!" Nick bellowed. "So don't you _dare_ insult my family, you wretch!"

In the middle of his attack, however, Nick stumbled back, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. Weiss was the first one to take a step towards Nick, confused as to what was happening.

Before Maylin could think to cast a Cure spell, Nick fell to his knees, clutching violently at his chest. Only a few seconds more passed before dark energy exploded from Nick's body and reconverged on him, leaving him to look like he'd turned into a Heartless again, only he still had his original form. In this state, Nick's entire body was stained an inky black, his eyes became the glowing yellow eyes of the Heartless, and his new clothes turned black with blue accents. Misty wisps of darkness began to flow from the backs of his shoulders and hands, which had become sets of wickedly sharp claws, his keyblade nowhere to be found.

"W-what the _hell_?!" Maylin exclaimed. "What just happened?! Did... did he turn into a Heartless again?!"

Haruka studied Nick's new transformation closely. "No... no, I think this is different..."

Jacques quickly picked himself up, willing his expression to show no fear of Nick's current state, even if he was inwardly terrified, as in this form, Nick's darkness-enhanced strength flowed completely unchecked from his body, so much so that you'd have to be either blind or completely unable to sense energy to not see the power he now possessed.

And as Nick lifted his head to face Jacques, that blank, golden-eyed stare boring into his very soul, Jacques finally accepted that he was in a load of trouble.

That was all the time Jacques had to acknowledge that fact before Nick resumed his attack, utilizing his newfound power to teleport around Jacques and strike from multiple angles with swift barrages of claw lashes, almost like a feral animal acting only on pure primal instinct.

Even when Jacques' Aura finally depleted itself due to the unending assault, Nick continued to ravage the man's form with his unnaturally sharp appendages. It was as if all reason had fled from Nick's mind during this transformation.

"We need to stop him," Haruka proclaimed, snapping Maylin and Weiss' attention to her. "Because I think if we just leave him to his own devices, Nick's actually going to kill Jacques, regardless if he deserves it or not."

That was all Maylin needed to hear, readying Counterpoint for whatever she had to do.

Nick continued to unleash everything he had on Jacques' body, no longer caring about the wounds he was now inflicting.

" _Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER!"_

A bolt of lightning dropped from the sky and crashed down between Nick and Jacques, forcing the two apart and finally ending the assault.

"Nick, get your marbles together," Maylin proclaimed. "This isn't you."

Nick simply lunged at Maylin, clearly intending to eviscerate her right on the spot. Only a quick cast of Reflect stopped Nick's attack.

"Haruka, any ideas?! I'm not getting through to him!" Maylin shouted. "What the hell happened to him?!"

Haruka was busy thinking, trying to draw connections.

 _Of course!_ Haruka thought as she realized what was happening. _It's technically a form change, since he's still basically himself, but he's acting like a Heartless. Why is that, though? What caused him to turn into that? Could it be... wait, he DID turn into a Heartless at one point, right? Could that be it?_

"Maylin! I figured it out!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Well, hurry up! I can't keep this barrier up forever!" Maylin shouted as Nick continued to slash at her Reflect barrier.

"Remember when Nick was turned into a Heartless, back at the Blue Sky Kingdom?" Haruka explained. "Even though he turned back to normal, that darkness is probably still lingering in his heart. I'm guessing that when Nick started lashing out in his emotional state, that darkness must have taken a hold of him and turned him into _that_."

"Okay, _that's_ all well and good, but _how do we get him out of it?!_ " Maylin shouted.

Unfortunately, Maylin had been distracted a second too long, as Nick finally broke through her Reflect barrier and slashed out fiercely, catching the young mage across the shoulder and knocking her back to the ground.

As Maylin clutched at her wound, she looked back up at Nick, who had seemingly stopped in his tracks.

As the two stared at each other for what seemed like forever, Nick finally seemed to snap out of his feral state, his eyes opening to reveal their normal brown color. Nick relaxed his stance, and the darkness coating his body faded away, leaving him in his normal form and allowing the Kingdom Key to return to his right hand.

"Nick? Are you back to being you again?" Maylin wondered.

"What... what the hell just _happened_?!" Nick gasped.

Haruka took a step forward to explain everything that she had put together about this strange transformation of his.

"So, that's basically everything," Haruka finished. "The darkness of your heart must have manifested when you went berserk and basically turned you into what I'm going to call 'Anti-Form'. I sorta consider it an incentive not to overuse your new transformation powers, especially when you're not thinking straight."

"Jeez, I just... I don't know, I just _snapped_ when he started smack-talking my family," Nick sighed. "It just _enraged_ me, especially considering that I'm _still_ not over it..."

"If it's any consolation, Nick, I believe that what Marie did for all of us was incredibly brave and selfless," Weiss admitted. After all, she had been there during that final battle. "She had the courage to do something most people probably wouldn't even consider."

"Even so, I still miss her," Nick replied. "She was family. It hurts to lose family..."

"Speaking of which, is he going to be okay?" Maylin wondered, gesturing towards the unconscious Jacques. "You _really_ did a number on him."

Weiss walked over to check it out. "He's unconscious, but he'll survive. His aura just needs to regenerate before his wounds can heal. We should probably take our leave now before he wakes up."

"One problem with that, though," Nick realized. "The whole manor's probably on high alert after that stunt, so they'll probably be waiting at all the exits, probably even the secret one!"

To Nick's confusion, a huge smile broke out on Maylin's face. "Who said we're taking the normal, boring way out? Haruka, if you will?"

"With pleasure," Haruka laughed as she activated the program on her wrist communicator, enveloping all four of them in a beam of light that transported them to the cockpit of the Gummi Ship.

"Oh, I get it now," Nick quipped. "We're taking the express way."

"Whoa," Weiss gasped. "This is... pretty impressive."

"Yep," Maylin giggled. "This is the Lanes Between. It's basically how we get around the worlds."

"Okay, so what's this plan of yours?" Nick asked. " _None_ of us know where Ruby is right now, and if the CCT Tower is down, then, well..."

Maylin just continued to smile as she activated the Gummi Ship's communicators.

* * *

Ruby Rose looked up into the sky, glad that things were finally settling down after that crazy battle with Tyrian. Qrow was asleep, the rest of Team RNJR was keeping watch for any more crazies, and Ruby herself just wanted to _relax_.

And she was ready to return to the others and do just that...

...when her scroll beeped.

 _Now_ Ruby was a little on edge again. With communications basically down across all of Remnant, how the heck was her scroll working?

...and who could possibly be calling her, if that was the case?

Realizing that her curiosity was starting to overwhelm her, Ruby opened her scroll and answered the incoming call...

...only to leap nearly five feet into the air at the monster-like snarl that Maylin had unleashed.

"I _literally_ can't believe that worked!" Maylin exclaimed, trying not to fall out of her seat due to her loud laughter. "That's payback for all the times you scared the jeepers out of _me_!"

"Was that _really_ necessary, Maylin?" Nick groaned.

Ruby's mood suddenly lifted at the familiar sights. "Hey, guys!" Ruby exclaimed, happily waving to her friends. "How exactly did you guys get through? I don't know if you've heard, but communications are kinda... well, _borked_ , for lack of a better term."

"I guess Gummi Ships are different," Haruka stated. "Maybe it's not the kind of communication that's limited by transmission towers..."

"We're universal, baby!" Maylin proclaimed.

Ruby just giggled.

"Jeez, that sounds as lame as one of Yang's puns..."

"H-Hey, I thought hard on that one!"

And if Ruby was already surprised, that particular voice seemed to fill her with a sense of elation she hadn't felt since before everything had gone to hell in a handbasket.

"Is... is that you, Weiss?!" Ruby gasped.

And sure enough, Weiss popped up on the comm screen, and Ruby couldn't contain her happiness at the sight of her girlfriend, the one she swore she may never see again.

"Yes, Ruby, it's me," Weiss replied.

"Weiss, how the heck did you get on the Gummi Ship?" Ruby wondered, genuinely confused.

"It's a long story, Ruby, but we'd be happy to tell it once we make it to you," Nick explained. "That's actually why we called, so we can lock on to your position and just zap ourselves to you. Keep your scroll on so we can find you, and we'll be there in about five minutes."

Ruby just nodded and prepared herself.

Those few minutes had to have been some of the longest of her life.

Thankfully, she didn't have to wait for too long.

A large column of light descended from the heavens, and Nick, Maylin, and Haruka popped out of it, with Weiss following closely behind.

"Is it weird that I miss Beacon already?" Maylin quipped, only for all three keyblade wielders to be tackled in one of Ruby's famous flying hugs.

"I can't believe you guys made it back!" Ruby exclaimed. "We all missed you so much!"

"We missed you, too, Ruby," Haruka replied. "We're sorry we couldn't help during the Battle of Beacon. All the worlds went back to their original places after we defeated Izanami-no-Mikoto, so we basically lost our map."

"Yeah, if we'd have been there, it probably wouldn't have been a contest," Maylin proclaimed. "Oh, Ruby, by the way, I _love_ your new look!"

"Thanks," Ruby giggled before releasing them and walking up to Weiss, unsure of what to say.

"Um... h-hi, Weiss..." Ruby stammered. Weiss just smiled and crossed the distance that separated them, pulling Ruby into a hug.

"You don't have to say anything, Ruby," Weiss replied. "I know exactly what you're thinking, and I missed you, too."

"Aw, Weiss..." Ruby giggled, leaning over to kiss Weiss.

"Well, I suppose you'll want to know how I got here," Weiss quipped.

"Very much! I-I mean, if that's okay," Ruby stammered. Weiss honestly hoped that Ruby never stopped being a child like this.

So Weiss explained to Ruby everything that had happened since she had been returned to Atlas, leaving nothing out and letting Nick step in to explain what had gone down not even an hour ago.

"So, basically, you finally had enough of your dad's nonsense and left after Nick unleashed his inner darkness on him?" Ruby summarized. "Aw, _man_ , I _always_ miss the fun parts!"

Despite the fact that everyone else burst into laughs at this, Nick cast a worried glance at Maylin, more specifically her right shoulder, where he'd slashed her while still under the influence of Anti-Form.

Maylin looked over at Nick, having noticed this change in his expression. "Why the long face, fearless leader? We got Beacon Academy's Couple of the Year back together! It's a cause for celebration!"

Ignoring the fact that Ruby and Weiss blushed so spectacularly that it could be seen from space...

"H-How's your shoulder, Maylin?" Nick asked.

"Oh, my shoulder? It's fine!" Maylin quipped, not quite understanding. "I didn't really take..."

Then, it fell into place. " _Oh._ Nick, is _that_ why you're so long-faced? I'm okay, promise!"

"Maylin, I could have _killed_ you!" Nick shouted.

Nick was honestly surprised when Maylin walked up and hugged him tightly.

"You weren't yourself, Nick. Believe me, I've been in that situation more times than I can possibly count," Maylin stated. "I don't blame you in the slightest, Nick. Okay?"

"I really _do_ have the best friends ever, don't I?" Nick quipped, returning Maylin's embrace.

"Of course, buddy! We're pals for life, remember?" Maylin giggled.

"Relish that friendship while you can."

Nick immediately spun around, summoning the Kingdom Key to his hands and laying his eyes on the owner of the voice, a figure completely covered by the black hood of Organization XIII.

Ruby wasted no time in unfurling Crescent Rose and preparing for a fight. "You again!" Ruby exclaimed, believing that this figure was Mariko Kusumi, despite Izanami-no-Mikoto's defeat. "How many times are you gonna come back from the dead?!"

"This is someone different, Ruby," Nick replied before taking a few steps towards the figure. "All right, you, what's your game here?!"

The figure simply glided backwards, his trajectory seemingly back towards Oniyuri, where Team RNJR had just fought off Tyrian.

"Oh, crap, he's going back to Oniyuri!" Ruby exclaimed. "What if he starts attracting more Grimm, or possibly that crazy guy again?!"

"Then let's go there and stop him!" Maylin proclaimed, and all five of them charged towards Oniyuri.

But when they reached the city again, the figure was nowhere to be found. All that remained of his presence was a large pool of darkness in the plaza where Team RNJR had fought Tyrian.

"Um, what is _that_?!" Ruby exclaimed as a strange creature rose up from the pool of darkness, dripping blobs of shadow like raindrops as it did so. The Heartless' body was a black sphere with several twisted tentacles sprouting out of it, two of them large, each sporting two metal bands around them, while the rest were smaller and placed more haphazardly around the Heartless' body, their tips all orange. The creature's jagged maw was red on the inside, and its eyes were eerie, glowing, yellow circles with pitch-black rings around them. The most prominent feature of the Heartless were the two long chains wrapped around its body, with each end of both chains attached to a conical weight.

"I'd guess it's his backup," Nick quipped.

The Shadow Stalker bobbed up and down, roaring in challenge before it flew off, searching for something to possess.

"Hey, get back here!" Ruby shouted, leaping into the air and turning into a spiral of rose petals before blasting off at remarkable speeds towards the retreating Shadow Stalker, reappearing to land a few slashes on its body before zipping back around to avoid retaliation.

" _Damn_ , she's gotten so much stronger with that Semblance of hers," Haruka quipped.

Ruby continued to flash around the Shadow Stalker, dealing as much damage as she could until it flew off to a nearby statue, actually absorbing itself into the statue and making it come to life.

"Okay, _no one_ told me Heartless could do _that_!" Maylin shouted, casting Thundara to keep the statue at bay.

Weiss switched Myrtenaster's settings and swung hard, creating a large glyph in front of her that unleashed a storm of icicles to batter at the statue. Haruka followed this up by rushing in to smash Rumbling Rose into the statue's knees, causing it to keel over so Nick could charge in and land a few hits himself.

After a short time of this, the statue jerked up and froze completely, the face of the Shadow Stalker showing up on the statue's chest.

"I think that's our cue! Let's get that thing out!" Maylin proclaimed.

Nick quickly rushed up to the statue and held up the Kingdom Key. Light poured from the blade into the statue's body, forcing the Shadow Stalker out and leaving it unremarkable stone once more.

However, the Shadow Stalker seemed to understand that it was in trouble and began to dart around like lightning, seemingly faster than they could keep up with.

"Dang it, _stop moving!_ " Ruby shouted, using her Semblance to approach, only for the Shadow Stalker to easily dodge her.

As Ruby landed, Nick was struck by inspiration, deciding to try a power he hadn't used yet.

"Hey, Ruby?" Nick asked.

"Yup?" Ruby quipped.

"I've got an idea," Nick responded. "I wanna try something I learned recently, and I might need your help to do it."

"If it'll get this ball thing to stay still, I'm all for it!" Ruby stated.

Nick stood behind Ruby and let his hands rest on her shoulders even as the Shadow Stalker approached them.

As Nick focused, he could feel Ruby's aura flowing from her body. Nick reached out to link that power with his own.

" _Harmonization Ready!"_ Nick shouted, a spiraling ring of light surrounding him and Ruby.

 **("Harmony" by Timbaland feat. Dalton Diehl plays)**

The ring of light shattered into shards, and Nick leaped into the air and shot off after the Shadow Stalker, trailing flower petals behind him as he moved at speeds that rivaled Ruby.

The Shadow Stalker looked surprised, but Nick didn't give it any time to acknowledge that fact before slashing at it, using his now super-charged momentum to attack from all angles, zipping around to land each strike and making it look as if he was pinballing the Shadow Stalker through the air.

After a while of this, Nick finished the assault with an overhead slam that spiked the Shadow Stalker back into the ground.

Satisfied that the thing had been dealt with, Nick flashed back to the ground, much to the surprised looks of everyone present.

"That... was... AWESOME!" Ruby shouted. "Did you actually, like, copy my Semblance? I didn't know you could do that!"

Nick smiled in response. "It's one of the powers my own new duds give me," Nick explained. "It's called Harmonization, and I basically combine my power with the power of someone from this world to pretty much temporarily gain their abilities."

"You've certainly learned a lot since the last time," Weiss admitted.

Before Nick could accept the compliment, the Shadow Stalker picked itself up, surrounding its body with a spiraling cocoon of darkness.

"What the heck is it doing?" Ruby wondered.

"I don't think we're done yet," Haruka replied.

Sure enough, as soon as Haruka had said that, the cocoon shattered itself to reveal that the Shadow Stalker had transformed into a new Heartless, a massive creature with black skin. Its entire body was wrapped in teal thorns, and both of its wrists and ankles still had manacles on them. The chains on its arms were broken, but the chain connecting its feet was not. The creature had a large, red, toothy maw and beady, glowing yellow eyes. While it was very muscular and had large hands and feet, it also had rather thin limbs. Each of its limbs sported three digits with long, red claws. To top it all off, the creature also had two enormous, orange horns and a massive, orange mane.

"Get ready for round two, guys!" Maylin exclaimed as the Dark Thorn rushed straight for them.

Weiss wasn't having any of that, however, and planted Myrtenaster's blade into the ground to summon her personal knight, which knocked the Dark Thorn off balance with a powerful slash.

"All right, let's RIOT!" Maylin shouted, and the three keyblade wielders rushed in while the Dark Thorn was dazed to attack it with everything they had.

After a few seconds of this, the Dark Thorn roared to scatter its attackers, then turned itself invisible before charging around the city.

"Where'd it go?" Haruka wondered.

Weiss heard footsteps behind her and quickly jumped away to avoid a powerful punch attack that left a crater in the ground where she had just been. Her knight responded with a three-step slash combo that actually did some damage to the Dark Thorn.

Weiss quickly blasted the Dark Thorn with a bolt of lightning from Myrtenaster, until it seemed to leap over her and charge straight for Nick.

Nick wasn't scared, though, swiftly setting up a Reflect barrier just as the Dark Thorn lashed out, the prism-shaped shield stopping the attack cold.

The Dark Thorn didn't seem discouraged, however, continuing to slash at the barrier in hopes of breaking through. Nick simply grinned and raised the Kingdom Key, shattering the barrier and sending all the damage it had taken back as a spiral of flashing lights around him, driving the Dark Thorn to its knees.

For good measure, Maylin cast another Thundara spell to keep the Dark Thorn in its place so Nick could land the decisive blow.

However, as Nick leaped up to attack the Dark Thorn's face, it snatched him out of mid-jump and brutally tossed him away.

Despite the concerns of his friends, Nick was able to right himself in time to land feet-first on one of the abandoned buildings, using the momentum to fling himself back towards the Dark Thorn. As he approached, Nick began to spin with his keyblade extended, looking much like a spiral of death itself.

The Dark Thorn only had time to roar in disbelief as Nick made contact, using his spin to cut the Dark Thorn's throat, just barely missing decapitating the beast. But it seemed to be enough. The Dark Thorn clutched at its throat as it twitched violently before roaring again. The Dark Thorn froze this way, light escaping from its wounds before it exploded into wisps of darkness that faded away as quickly as they had appeared.

"Victory!" Ruby proclaimed, hefting Crescent Rose proudly.

"So you think."

Nick quickly spun around to face the Organization member that was standing there. "What's your deal, freak show?!"

"Not your concern. Farewell for now," the figure proclaimed before vanishing through a corridor of darkness.

"Yeah, you do that, jerk boy," Ruby groaned before turning to Weiss. "That was so cool that you finally got the hang of your summoning, Weiss!"

"Well, I've been training ever since I was taken home," Weiss admitted rather proudly.

Just then, Ruby gasped in shock. "Wait, Weiss, what if your father comes after you, or sends a bunch of big, burly mooks to take you back by force?! I mean, I know for a fact you can take care of yourself, but..."

Despite all of Ruby's fears, Weiss simply smiled, the mere sight of it calming the young reaper down. "Don't worry, Ruby. I'm not afraid of him or any of his 'agents'. Like I said, I refuse to be his puppet on a string any longer."

"That's a relief," Ruby stated.

"Besides," Weiss replied in a quiet tone as she hugged Ruby tightly. "The only thing I'm truly scared of is losing you."

Maylin couldn't help but swoon at the romantic display. That was just the way she was, after all, being a romantic at heart.

Ruby suddenly felt a strange twinge of energy, and dug into her pocket, realizing that her scroll was glowing for some odd reason.

"Jeez, what is it with these things and them just wanting to... well, not work?" Ruby groaned.

Nick quickly noticed that a similar glow was surrounding the Kingdom Key. Realizing what he needed to do, he held the Kingdom Key aloft, to Ruby and Weiss' confusion.

Energy began to gather around the Kingdom Key's teeth, before eventually absorbing into the ground below Nick and creating the shape of a crown under his feet. Wind began to swirl around Nick's body as he channeled his power, eventually forming into a large keyhole in the sky.

Nick jumped back, spinning the Kingdom Key a few times before aiming and firing a beam of light from the keyblade into the keyhole. Reality seemed to shatter in a large circle around the keyhole, lines of light flowing into it before creating a bright flare that caused the keyhole to disappear.

"That's our sign, guys! The gate is open!" Maylin proclaimed.

"You guys are leaving?" Ruby gasped.

"Other worlds are calling, as always," Haruka replied. "As you probably saw, we've got a new threat to deal with."

"Hey, yeah, who was that hooded nut?" Ruby wondered. "I almost thought it was that Mari-whosits..."

"These guys are bad news, too," Nick explained. "They call themselves Organization XIII, and they're a bunch of Nobodies, as in the cast-off body and soul of someone who's lost their heart. All we know about them is that they're up to something sneaky, and that it possibly involves Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all worlds. So yeah, not good."

"So it's our job as keyblade wielders to deal with them!" Maylin proclaimed. "It's what we do, after all."

"Will you be okay here, Weiss?" Haruka asked.

"I have Ruby and her friends watching over me," Weiss answered. "I'm sure I'll be just fine."

"Oh, hey!" Ruby gasped, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small charm shaped like her rose decals. "I wanted to give you this, Nick. I think you probably know what it does by now."

Indeed, Nick did, as he accepted the charm and attached it to the base of his Kingdom Key. After about a second, the Kingdom Key transformed into an entirely new keyblade which appeared to be modeled after the weapons of Team RNJR. The hilt was a cross between the hilt of Weiss' Myrtenaster and a large rose decal like on Ruby's Crescent Rose, the handlebars resembled Ren's Storm Flower blades, the shaft of the weapon was the blade of Jaune's Crocea Mors in its sheathed state, and the teeth of the blade resembled the hammer "head" Nora's Magnhild. As Nick studied the new keyblade, the words _Riot Ranger_ ran through his head.

"Drop by if you're ever in the neighborhood!" Ruby giggled.

"Don't worry, Ruby, we will," Nick replied. "And if we ever find any of these bad guys you've all been tailing, I _promise_ you they'll pay in spades."

Ruby just nodded, smiling happily as the three keyblade wielders teleported back to the Gummi Ship.

"Oh, Uncle Qrow! We should probably go check on him," Ruby gasped. "I hope that fight didn't attract any Grimm..."

Weiss knew how concerned Ruby was about her incapacitated uncle, so she followed the reaper to rejoin the rest of Team RNJR.

The shadows cast by the trees concealed the sight of a strange figure, brandishing two very alike-looking keyblades.

"Wow, he really did it. But I'd better keep going. I still have to save him!"

* * *

"Well, another world down," Maylin proclaimed. "And that's already two members of the Organization we've driven off!"

"It's not gonna get any easier from here, Maylin," Haruka replied as the Gummi Ship took off for the next world. "We need to stay on our toes."

"And I just realized, we never found that girl," Nick gasped, remembering the events of earlier.

"Girl?" Maylin wondered.

"It was right before you guys came to get me, remember?" Nick answered. "I told the Oracle about her, too. I have no idea why she's here or how she can wield _two_ keyblades, since I thought I was the only one who could, but if she's out there trying to fight the Organization, we need to make sure she's all right."

"You think we'll find her in the next world?" Haruka asked.

"Here's hoping," Nick replied.

After about ten minutes of flying through the Lanes Between, the next world came into view. The structure representing it appeared to resemble a chain of large floating islands floating in a rainbow-patterned sky. The four largest islands had impressive cities on them, one futuristic, one industrial, one covered in snowy terrain, and one modern-esque.

"Gotta love the variety, huh?" Maylin proclaimed.

"All right, let's check out this new route so we can get to our next destination," Haruka proclaimed, steering the Gummi Ship into the large door that led to the connecting route. "Full speed ahead!"

As the Gummi Ship made its way in, Maylin caught another glimpse of the strange armored figure out at the very edge of the Lanes Between.

 _Again?_ Maylin thought, just as it clicked into place in her mind. _Aqua! THAT'S who that is! No wonder she looked so familiar! But my question is..._

Maylin made sure to catch one last glimpse of Aqua before the entire Gummi Ship was engulfed in light.

 _...if Aqua's flying through the Lanes Between all on her own... what exactly happened to Terra and Ven?_

Maylin made sure to ask Aqua about that if she ever saw her in person. After all, not too long ago they'd all been...

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New Harmonization acquired!_

 **Semblance Copy  
** _Drive Gauge Points Needed:_ **2  
** _Purpose:_ Copy a party member's specific Semblance to gain their abilities for a short time.

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Riot Ranger  
** Strength: 6  
Magic: 4  
Ability: MP Haste  
 _A keyblade representing a fragmented team on a journey for justice. Increases the speed at which the MP Gauge recharges by 25%._

* * *

On the next episode:

Maylin: Next world ahoy!

Haruka: And boy, did we pick a pretty trippy world to find, huh? Why do all four of these nations sound like they're ripping off game consoles?

Maylin: Hey, you said it yourself, some of these worlds are pretty oddball.

Haruka: And do these people not even care about the fourth wall or something?

Nick: Wait, fourth wall? Who do I know that likes to break the fourth wall?

Maylin: Wait, you don't think...?

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "Game On"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	3. Game On!

"Nick, why exactly are you covering your eyes?" Maylin quipped as the Gummi Ship, currently in Highwind Mode, sped through a cluster of Nobody ships while spiraling around a large sun (actually a large Nobody ship shaped like a sun) in the middle of a great yellow void.

"Because, unlike you two, I didn't get a chance to pack sunglasses," Nick replied.

"Don't worry, Nick, we'll be out of here in a few seconds," Haruka stated. "Just gotta blast these things and we'll be done."

Haruka decided to be crafty and switch to Falcon Mode to fire a few blasts at the "sun" itself, which eventually went supernova and wiped out all the Nobody ships in the vicinity. The Gummi Ship survived by switching back to Highwind Mode and flying out of the void through the same hole that had allowed the Nobody ships inside in the first place.

After shooting down a few more enemies, the Gummi Ship finally flew through the large keyhole to return to the Lanes Between, connecting the route and dispelling the barrier around their next destination.

"Route opened!" Haruka exclaimed. "You guys ready to see what's up down there?"

"You better believe it!" Maylin proclaimed.

"All right, let's take care of business. Prepare for landing!" Haruka stated.

But as the Gummi Ship descended towards the floating islands, Maylin once again caught a glimpse of the strange blue-armored figure flying through the Lanes Between. Now Maylin was growing concerned.

 _Aqua, what exactly happened since the last time we saw each other?_ Maylin thought. _Did you actually find Terra and Ven? Or did they..._

After a few seconds of thought, Maylin came to a decision.

 _Once we're done here, if I see Aqua again, we're going after her. I really want some answers now. It's been two years since..._ _ **that**_ _day..._

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** The trio lands in a strange new world, a land of progress, serenity, and many other similar phrases. The destination may be new to them, but Nick definitely knows someone here, having fought alongside Neptune many times during their last adventure. Even so, something strange is going on within the confines of Gamindustri. Hordes of new and deadly monsters are plaguing the citizens of the four nations, and Nick suspects that a member of Organization XIII is behind this new wave of hostiles...

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World:** Next stop is a game/anime I've been really getting into lately, _Hyperdimension Neptunia_ by Compile Heart and Idea Factory International. People who read the original Key to Her Heart will remember that Neptune was one of Nick's summons in that story. I won't be spoiling any of the games, but this is once again its own universe/continuity/whatever, since they do that almost every dang game.

 **EDIT 2/20/19:** I changed the first summon Nick gets due to getting an idea and not wanting the original first summon to suffer. I know, I know, I love her, too, I'M SO SORRY MELIA

 **EDIT 2/21/19:** Cut out some of the Demon Tower battle, since I just realized I gave it a second form that acts like the Demon Tide. Sorry 'bout that.

* * *

Episode 3: Game On!

"Wow, this seems to be the adventure of unexpected locations today, doesn't it?" Maylin stated when the trio had disembarked, finding themselves inside of a very futuristic-looking office space that appeared to be at the top of a very large tower.

"There's a lot of pink here, too," Haruka laughed. "I can only guess who lives here..."

Nick walked around the room, inspecting everything that he could. Something about the way this room was designed seemed to be evoking a few specific memories...

"What's up, fearless leader?" Maylin wondered.

"I don't know," Nick quipped. "I'm just getting that strange feeling that this place is familiar to me, even though we've obviously never been here before..."

"Maybe this is the world of one of your summons from last adventure?" Haruka offered. "Himerish said that all of those worlds were restored when we beat Izanami-no-Mikoto..."

Nick's train of thought was quickly derailed when a group of Heartless spawned around them, forcing the trio to summon their keyblades.

The Heartless troupe consisted mostly of Soldiers and Nightwalkers, but contained a new type, a large and tower-like Heartless with a spherical face on the bottom ring.

"Oh, whoopee," Maylin proclaimed, readying Counterpoint. "These ones are annoying, too."

"The tall thing is a Bolt Tower," Haruka explained to Nick. "It likes to throw its weight around a lot, but that's really all it can do."

Maylin quickly moved in, ducking and weaving through the Nightwalkers to slash a few times at the Bolt Tower, while Haruka backflipped through the air and unleashed her personal magic attack Tremor upon landing, slamming Rumbling Rose into the ground so hard it created a localized, well, tremor that made quick work of all the grounded Heartless.

Just as Nick was strafing around Maylin to go after the Bolt Tower, it fired a stream of electricity at him, trapping him in a field of lightning so it could lift him into the air.

Nick wasn't having any of that, however, pushing back against the stream and eventually flinging the lightning back at the Bolt Tower, creating a small electric explosion that destroyed the Bolt Tower and several other Soldiers that had just spawned.

Before the trio could relax, a trio of Large Bodies appeared, all shaking their jiggling bellies in a direct challenge.

"Okay, you know what?" Maylin quipped, holding up a spell coin. "I'm not dealing with you loonies today!"

Maylin didn't exactly have time to follow through on her threat, however, as a purple-ish blur shot by, slashing at each Large Body on each pass until they were gone.

"Boo-yah! And more enemies get Nep-Nep'ed!"

Nick snapped to attention at the familiar voice, following the path to where the figure stopped, her sword down in a cool pose.

The spiky, light-purple hair and D-Pad shaped hairclips were unmistakable to Nick, the appearance of a trusted ally that he had called on for assistance many times on his last journey, just as Haruka had predicted.

"I'm just too cool for those weirdos," Neptune laughed. She turned around, only for her smile to get even brighter when she saw Nick standing there.

"BUDDY!" Neptune exclaimed, throwing herself at Nick in an unexpected hug that sent them both crashing to the ground. "I knew it was only a matter of time until we could get together again and Nep-Nep some Heartless fools!"

"I missed you, too, Neptune," Nick laughed, returning Neptune's hug as best he could.

"You know what's even better now that you're here?" Neptune giggled. "This time, I actually get to be a full-on party member instead of just a summon! Now I can show off all my awesome skills!"

"Sounds like we're going to need those skills," Maylin quipped, spinning Counterpoint in her hands. "If the Heartless are running around here, then that means trouble. And I'm sure this is a world where we haven't found the keyhole yet..."

"Then that means, if Organization XIII's here, we need to get moving," Nick proclaimed. "Those hooded freaks could be up to _anything_... Shall we set out for adventure, Neptune?"

"You know it, buddy!" Neptune proclaimed, only for her expression to change slightly, and she looked at Nick in slight shock. "Wait. What's my name, again?"

"Um, Neptune, right?" Nick quipped, wondering where Neptune was going with this, only to be knocked back to the floor with another glomp.

"YOU CAN SAY MY NAME!" Neptune laughed. "Oh, wow, I just got so used to everyone mispronouncing my name that I just rolled with it!"

"Wait, you're saying no one can pronounce your name right?" Maylin wondered. "That's stupid! How hard is it for people to say 'Neptune'?!"

Haruka would have responded if she hadn't heard frantic footsteps approaching fast. A second later, a girl about her age burst through the nearby doorway, appearing to be out of breath and covered in light scratches, as if she'd been involved in a scuffle on the way to the Basilicom.

This new arrival had long light purple hair with a single D-pad hair clip and violet eyes, wore a white, buttoned-up sailor uniform with purple designs and a yellow ribbon being held together by the same N-emblem, along with thigh high socks with pink and white stripes and medium sized boots that matched her uniform's color scheme.

"Neptune, there's been more of those strange monster sightings just outside the city," Nepgear proclaimed. "We need to go and stop it!"

"Again?!" Neptune groaned, though she still hefted her katana regardless. "How many of those things have we had to Nep-Nep since those wackos in the hoods showed up?!"

"Oh, fantastic, that means the Organization's been here already," Nick growled.

"You know those hooded weirdos?" Neptune asked.

"Long story short, Organization XIII, the black-hooded people, is the reason we're on this new quest," Nick explained, calling Riot Ranger to his hands. "We'll explain everything in detail later, but for now, let's go stomp a monster."

The group of five rushed out of the Basilicom and into the heart of the main city of Planeptune, towards the site of the monster sightings. And sure enough, when they reached the forest just outside the city, a large, bulky tyrannosaurus rex-type monster was smashing through everything in sight, roaring so loudly that it caused smaller trees to fall over like needles, and spewing fire breath across the fields. As it lifted its head to roar again, the group could see the Heartless symbol plastered on its chest.

"Holy _crap_ , that's a big one!" Maylin exclaimed, summoning Counterpoint.

"Well, I think you know what we've gotta do, then," Haruka proclaimed, summoning Rumbling Rose.

"Let's go, Team Nep!" Neptune exclaimed.

All five fighters charged for the G-Rex even as it tried to swipe at them. The slashes were easily dodged due to the G-Rex's small arms, giving each fighter time to attack. Even Nepgear got in on the battle, attacking in wide, wavy slashes with a purple beam saber weapon.

The G-Rex hopped backwards and unleashed a powerful burst of flame from its mouth, aimed directly towards Nepgear.

Nick was ready for the attack, sliding to Nepgear's front and casting Reflect so that the fires bounced harmlessly off of the prism shield. The G-Rex didn't take too kindly to this, rushing in to headbutt the shield only to bounce right off. Nick took this chance to shatter the Reflect shield, easily wounding the G-Rex with the reflected damage.

Despite this damage, however, the G-Rex continued to wildly attack as if it hadn't taken any damage at all, swinging viciously with its spiked tail and attempting to bite anyone who got too close.

"Okay, so you're going to be stubborn," Maylin quipped, leaping back before double-casting Thundaga, raining enough lightning bolts down for a small thunderstorm onto the unprotected back of the G-Rex.

Neptune leapfrogged over Maylin, slashing at the G-Rex's face a few times before jumping over to Nick's side. "Hey, you wanna see if we can still do our finisher?"

"Worth a shot," Nick quipped as he and Neptune began to twirl their blades around. The G-Rex, seeing an opportunity to attack, charged for them.

" _Finishing Move, Astral Finale!"_ Nick and Neptune shouted, thrusting their weapons to the sky and unleashing a beam of light that flew upwards before returning to the battlefield as a rain of comet-shaped blasts of energy that ravaged the G-Rex and eventually sent it tumbling to the ground, where it lay still as if defeated.

"And victory goes to Team Nep!" Neptune proclaimed, only to be quickly silenced as the G-Rex picked itself up, its whole body turning a dark shade of red.

"Oh, come on, why won't you die already?!" Maylin shouted.

The G-Rex answered this by leaping into the air and coming down so hard that the group had to leap over the resulting shockwave.

"All right, this isn't funny anymore," Neptune groaned. "Hey, sis, you wanna waste this thing already? I've got a bunch of new games I wanna play!"

"Anything to stop this monster," Nepgear responded, holding her hands forward as Neptune did the same.

Bright white light with a purple tint began to spiral around Neptune and Nepgear, and a power symbol flashed in their eyes.

" _Hard Drive Divinity, engage!"_ Neptune and Nepgear proclaimed.

Columns of light burst from the sky above and enveloped Neptune and Nepgear, and when it cleared away, both CPU and Candidate were very different.

Neptune now had long purple hair in twin tails that almost reached her feet, and bright blue eyes with white pupils in the shape of power signs. She was wearing black hair clips with glowing blue D-Pad shapes on them, and a black body suit that somewhat exposed her chest. Both of said bodysuit's shoulder areas contained a white, outlined D-pad symbol and the arm areas were purple along the sides while the front of the bodysuit also had purple areas near the bottom. Her boots were mostly the same, only they were now black boots with purple tips.

Nepgear's hair had grown and turned pink with a different, white-and-blue hair clip in place of the D-pad hair clip. Her eyes had become a bright dodger blue and she was wearing a white skintight bodysuit with light purple designs and light purple N's on the backhand of her gloves along with matching thigh high boots.

"Okay, I've never seen _that_ before!" Nick exclaimed. "What have you been holding back while you were a summon, Neptune?"

"Well, to be honest, I couldn't access this form when I was your summon," Purple Heart responded, and Nick noticed that, as Purple Heart, Neptune sounded older and more mature, to contrast the energetic girl she was as Neptune. "Since I had been cut off from my shares, I couldn't access my goddess powers."

"We figured it was because there _was_ no way to access our shares while our world was lost in the darkness," Purple Sister responded. "Now that our world's back, so are our powers."

"Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's stomp this thing already!" Maylin shouted.

Purple Heart and Purple Sister immediately went on the attack, swinging their new weapons in wide, sweeping spin attacks to keep the G-Rex locked in its place. And finally, damage began to show on the beast.

Maylin, meanwhile, continued to fire off spell after spell inbetween the two goddesses' frantic attacks, while Haruka flanked the rear of the G-Rex and Nick struck from the side.

The G-Rex could eventually take no more of this five-pronged assault and roared in agony before slumping to the ground in defeat.

"All right, who wants to do the honor?" Haruka quipped.

"ME!" Maylin exclaimed, fishing through her pockets for a super spell coin. "This one's gonna burn, baby!"

Ignoring Purple Sister's exasperated sigh and Purple Heart giggling at the pun, Maylin tossed the coin into the air, spinning Counterpoint dramatically.

" _Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! FIRAJA!"_ Maylin shouted, slamming Counterpoint into the coin.

Eight gigantic spheres of fire, resembling meteors, appeared and began to orbit around the G-Rex. Just as the beast was beginning to pick itself up, the meteors all converged on the G-Rex at once, exploding into a geyser of flames that shot straight to the sky. When the flames dissipated, the G-Rex collapsed to the ground and evaporated into small particles of darkness, a large energy heart escaping from its remains and floating off somewhere.

"And BOOM! He's officially space dust," Maylin proclaimed, stopping to catch her breath and let her energy replenish itself.

"Now that we're safe for the moment, I think the question I'd like to ask is this," Haruka quipped. "How long has it been since Organization XIII showed up?"

"Honestly, it hasn't been that long," Nepgear replied once she and Neptune had returned to their normal selves. "It was just about two weeks ago when we first noticed them. They didn't do anything when we saw them, so we didn't pay it any heed. But then, these super-powerful monsters started popping up, far stronger than the normal hordes we have to deal with."

"And it's not just here, either," Neptune admitted. "My best bud Noire told me that strange monsters have been attacking all four nations of Gamindustri. It's either part of this Organization's plan or the most contrived coincidence ever. There's really no in-between, is there?"

"And anyone who got away from one of those monsters always said something about a black-hooded figure nearby," Nepgear stated. "That's basically when we made the connection."

"Let's get back to the Basilicom," Nick stated. "If this is happening all over Gamindustri, we might need to do some damage control."

And so, the group made their way back to the Basilicom, unaware that they were being watched from afar.

"They're doing just fine on their own, aren't they?" Lily wondered. "Wow, papa's so strong, even when he was still a teenager... maybe _they_ don't need my help, but I still have to find and take care of the Organization! They're the whole reason I'm here, after all!"

Lily aimed Light Seeker forward, slashing it through the air to open a portal to her next destination, while casually swinging her Kingdom Key to cut down a Nightwalker that had been trying to sneak up on her. "Oh, shut up already."

* * *

"Come in, Noire! Can you read me?" Neptune proclaimed, a little irked that Noire wasn't answering communications.

"She's not answering?" Nepgear wondered. "That's so strange... I hope everything's all right over there..."

"Hey, whatever's happening, I'm sure Noire can handle it!" Neptune laughed. "In the meantime, let's check on good ol' Blanny..."

Switching the communication network channel from Lastation to Lowee, Neptune saw nothing but Blanc's office for a few seconds.

"Blanny, are you there?" Neptune quipped.

Sure enough, Blanc jumped into view... only she was currently in her goddess form, White Heart, fiercely slashing at something while spouting curse after curse towards her opponent.

White Heart jumped back to avoid another incoming attack, inadvertently revealing her attacker to be a Demon Tower.

"Hey, why's she fighting the Swarm?" Neptune wondered. "Isn't that Master Core's shtick?"

"Oh, _seriously_?!" Maylin growled, quickly summoning Counterpoint. "How many of these things do we have to put down?!"

"We need to get over there _now,_ " Haruka proclaimed, summoning Rumbling Rose. "Blanc may be in over her head against one of those things."

"The teleporters are just across the hall," Nepgear stated. "Please hurry!"

Nick, Maylin, and Haruka rushed to the teleporters that would take them to Lowee's Basilicom, though on the way, Maylin had seemingly drawn a connection.

 _Are those things connected to whatever Aqua's been doing?_ Maylin thought. _After all, the last time I saw Aqua, she was fighting one of them until we got separated..._

One flash of light later, the trio had appeared in Lowee's Basilicom, where White Heart was currently fending off the Demon Tower with her giant axe-sword.

The Demon Tower noticed the new arrivals and shot towards them, twisting and undulating through the air. Nick stopped the Demon Tower's charge cold with a near point-blank Thunder spell.

"Nice try, wacko," Nick proclaimed.

The Demon Tower spiraled around before sinking into the floor and creating pools of darkness all over the office area. Torrents of the demonic, red-eyed Shadows that made up the Demon Tower rose in waves from the pools, forcing everyone in the room to stay on their toes.

Maylin continued to dance around the room, firing off one spell after another to keep the Demon Tower locked in place so Haruka could dash in and attack the core a few times.

"Stop pushing me around, you jackass!" White Heart growled, flying forward and landing three clean slashes on the Demon Tower's core, causing it to go limp and collapse to the floor, the Shadows surrounding it disappearing.

"Too easy," White Heart proclaimed.

"I don't know," Maylin quipped. "The last one we fought didn't go down anywhere _that_ easy..."

As if in response to Maylin's statement, the Demon Tower began to reform and attack again.

"Stubborn, aren't you?!" White Heart shouted.

Just then, the doors to the Basilicom flew open, revealing Blanc's younger sisters Rom and Ram, standing there with their staves ready. No doubt they had heard the commotion caused by the Demon Tower.

"Blanc, what's happening?" Ram asked.

"Stay back!" White Heart shouted as the Demon Tower set its sights on Rom and Ram, firing off waves of the demonic Shadows straight for them.

Nick was over there in a flash, holding Riot Ranger out to cast a Reflect barrier in front of him, deflecting the waves of Shadows away from them.

"We need to knock the core out of that twister if we're going to finish it off!" Nick exclaimed.

"I'm on it!"

Before Nick could question the source of the unfamiliar voice, Lastation's CPU, Noire, leaped from nearby to slash a few times at the Demon Tower, briefly creating a gap in the monster's twister of Shadows for Noire's sister Uni to attack from, firing laser blasts through the gap to strike the Demon Tower's core.

"You chose the _wrong_ world to mess with, monster boy!" Noire exclaimed, activating Hard Drive Divinity and transforming into Black Heart before rushing at the Demon Tower and attacking rapidly with her longsword.

"Right behind ya, sis!" Uni exclaimed, transforming into Black Sister and charging a much more powerful shot. "Now eat some of _this_!"

Black Sister lifted her gigantic blaster and unleashed her attack, a great emerald beam erupting from the weapon and blasting through the Demon Tower's mass of Shadows to strike its core.

"Hey, don't leave us out of the fun! Let's go, Rom!" Ram exclaimed.

"Right!" Rom proclaimed, and both of them transformed into White Sister mk.I and White Sister so they could glide out to the battle and start battering the Demon Tower with ice and fire spells. This gave White Heart ample opportunity to attack the Demon Tower's core with her axe.

"I shall assist as well!" Vert shouted, appearing from the teleporters and rushing the Demon Tower with her spear, actually creating more gaps in the tornado of Shadows that Black Sister took advantage of, firing through the gaps to cause more damage.

While all this was happening, Vert transformed into Green Heart and began flaying the Demon Tower with wide spinning slashes from her spear.

"Wow, the reinforcements are popping up like bubbles!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Hey, hey, don't leave the protagonists out of it!" Neptune exclaimed as she and Nepgear entered the fray, immediately transforming into Purple Heart and Purple Sister to ravage the Demon Tower with their weapons.

After a while of this multi-pronged attack, the Demon Tower began to spin around the room, creating more red-eyed Shadows to increase the size of its tornado.

"Oh, _that_ just isn't fair!" Purple Heart shouted.

"Wait, I see a gap in that twister thing!" White Sister mk.I exclaimed.

"Then that's where _we_ step up," Maylin exclaimed.

"You ready for this, Haruka?" Nick asked.

"Oh, yeah," Haruka laughed, sliding towards Nick to touch his shoulder. Nick threw his arms outward, silver energy exploding from his body. Haruka vanished from sight, and when the light died down, Nick was in Valor Form, dual-wielding Riot Ranger and Rumbling Rose.

"Time to say goodnight, dark boy!" Valor Form Nick shouted, rushing in to slash at the Shadow twister, creating even more of a gap to break through.

Maylin took her chance and unleashed a Thunder spell that momentarily stalled the Demon Tower enough for Valor Form Nick to leap into the air and start hacking away at the dark core. After a few whacks, Valor Form Nick performed his aerial finisher Sonic End, a bevy of wide, wavy spinning slashes followed by an X-strike that split the Demon Tower's core in two, causing it to explode into wisps of darkness. All the demonic Shadows evaporated into black mist once their controlling force was gone.

"YES!" both White Sisters shouted once the battle was over.

"That's another one for us," White Heart proclaimed as everyone returned to their normal selves. "Now, if you don't mind, could someone _please_ explain what exactly that thing was?"

"It was a Heartless," Haruka stated. "Monsters born of the darkness in people's hearts. It's basically our job," Haruka gestured to herself, Nick, and Maylin, "to travel the worlds and get rid of the Heartless wherever we can."

"Oh, so you must be the keyblade wielders that Neptune won't shut up about," Blanc stated.

"Hey, they're awesome!" Neptune laughed.

"You guys definitely have the skills to pay the bills," Uni teased.

"Well, considering all the nutballs we've had to fight," Maylin proclaimed. "We're pretty good at this job."

"Oh, hey!" Neptune exclaimed. "How did that final battle go? Judging by the fact that you're back and I'm back, that must mean you three wooped on little miss mad goddess?"

"Yep, we sent her packing," Nick replied, his good mood dropping slightly as he remembered what had to be sacrificed for that victory.

"Hey, why the long face, buddy?" Neptune wondered. "Did something happen during that fight?"

"Genre savvy as always, Neptune," Nick stated. "Yeah, we defeated Izanami-no-Mikoto, but... we had to kill Marie to do it. She was one of Izanami-no-Mikoto's vessels, and that was the only reason we stood a chance, because Marie was fighting back."

"Yeah, Nick's still pretty sensitive about that," Maylin responded. "You should have been there to see it, Nep, but one of the bad guys we fought earlier pushed that button _really_ hard and Nick beat him to within an inch of his _life_."

"Maylin, I'd really like to forget that," Nick groaned, especially considering _why_ he had done so much damage to Jacques. The faded memory of Anti-Form was still fresh in his mind.

"It's no big. I'll just go and read the previous chapter when we're done here," Neptune quipped.

"That's why I acted so quickly to protect Blanc's sisters, even though I've never met most of you until today," Nick stated. "I know _damn_ well the pain of losing a part of your family, and I won't let that happen to _anyone else_ as long as I wield the keyblade."

Rom and Ram just smiled at Nick's declaration.

"I would assume that these 'Heartless', as you call them, have something to do with the strange monsters of late?" Vert asked.

"It's actually Organization XIII, the freaks in the black robes that are somehow connected to this new wave of monsters," Haruka answered. "We don't know what they're hoping to accomplish, but it can't be anything good."

"Then, let's go find them and stomp their heads in," Blanc proclaimed with a wicked little smile. "They're going to pay for putting my sisters in harm's way."

"All right! Let's go Nep-Nep these fools!" Neptune exclaimed.

"I think we should probably go and find them first," Noire stated. "Who knows where they could be hiding out?"

"I'm afraid that will not be necessary."

All eyes in the room followed the sound to a black-hooded figure standing in the doorway to the office. This man had long, platinum-blonde hair and green eyes and was carrying a silver-and-blue shield shaped like an upside-down teardrop with two oval chunks taken out of each side and lined by four small spikes and a fifth, larger one in the middle.

"I figured that I would save you the trouble and greet you directly," the man proclaimed. "An interesting hypothesis, wouldn't you say?"

"All right, I'm not in _any_ mood for your nonsense," Nick growled, pointing the Kingdom Key threateningly. "Who are you?!"

"I am Vexen, rank four in the Organization," the man answered. "I assume you know why we have come to this time frame?"

"Whatever it is, it can't be good," Maylin quipped. "There's no way you can get to Kingdom Hearts, buddy. We locked that door for good!"

Vexen simply laughed, as if the very idea was hilarious. "Oh, you easily misunderstand us, little girl. We _do_ seek the power of Kingdom Hearts, but we have our own ways of obtaining the power we seek."

"Blah, blah, blah, it's nothing we haven't heard a billion times," Neptune groaned. "Just get on with your clichéd villain speech so we can start the show!"

"Were _you_ the one behind these monster attacks?!" Blanc shouted.

"But of course," Vexen stated. "I _am_ a scientist, after all. Experimentation is my calling. I simply allowed these monsters to be corrupted by the power of the Heartless and see what happened. And needless to say, the results were quite pleasing."

"You've got some nerve mucking around in our world like you _own_ it or something!" Uni shouted, aiming her gun straight for Vexen's head.

"My dear CPU Candidate, when our plans are complete, we will 'own' _every world_ ," Vexen cackled. Curiously, he cast a glance to his right and saw Rom raising her staff, readying a spell.

"Oh, how cute. Little thing thinks she stands a chance."

Fast as lightning, Vexen reversed his grip on his shield so that the sharp bottom end was facing outward, and slashed fiercely. Rom ducked under the attack, but Vexen responded by slamming Frozen Pride into the ground and causing a large ice spike to erupt from the ground and throw Rom back a few feet.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that!" Ram shouted, readying her own staff to cast a powerful fire spell.

"Try me, little girl," Vexen laughed. Before he could attack Ram as well, Vexen cast his gaze back to the rest of the group, having sensed a strange power.

It turned out to be Nick, who was standing there and gripping the Kingdom Key tightly, a spiraling ring of light surrounding him indicating he was preparing a Harmonization.

"You're some piece of work, Vexen," Nick growled. "I thought even someone like _you_ would have some qualms about _hurting a child_..."

"Oh, but I am a Nobody, boy," Vexen taunted. "Such feelings mean nothing to me."

"Yeah, I can see that!" Nick shot right back. "I _despise_ people who think they can even hurt _children_ and believe they're immune to judgment! Well, I think it's time to show you _exactly_ what I think of your kind, Vexen!"

The ring of light surrounding Nick shattered into multiple shards. His next words shocked all of the CPUs and Candidates.

 **("Harmony" by Timbaland feat. Dalton Diehl plays)**

" _Harmonization ready! Hard Drive Divinity, engage!"_

A beam of white light thundered down from the sky and surrounded Nick, and when he emerged, he was wearing a very cyberpunk-esque outfit that looked like it had jumped straight out of TRON, complete with helmet, shoulder guards and chest plates that made it look like a suit of armor with energy lines flowing across it. The suit even featured two pairs of sharp, bladed wings. Nick's now-red eyes also had a power symbol in them, much like the other CPUs had in their goddess forms.

"Holy crap, did he just go HDD on us?!" Neptune exclaimed. "I thought only us goddesses could do that!"

"It's his Harmonization power," Maylin quickly explained. "Nick can basically 'Harmonize' with the energies of this world and copy the powers of someone in it. In this case, he basically copied your transformation powers."

Silver Heart Nick stared down Vexen, a rather cocky grin on his face.

"Well, Vexen, are you just going to stand there and gawk, or are you actually going to get over here so I can drive you into the ground?!"

Vexen took a few steps back, as if intimidated, but quickly regained his composure.

"How about an experiment first?" Vexen stated, raising his shield and summoning a small horde of Nobodies to the area. Most of them were the basic Dusks and Creepers, but a few were white figures draped in wizard's robes and pointy witch hats.

"Typical," Silver Heart Nick groaned before readying himself. "Okay, let's dance."

The Nobodies advanced, but Silver Heart Nick simply swung the Kingdom Key in a wide berth, cutting down more than a few of them in one swing. The new challengers, the Mages, fired off large spells at Nick, but the spells were quickly intercepted by Maylin blasting them out of the air with a Thunder spell.

"Sorry, newbies, try again," Maylin giggled.

Silver Heart Nick continued to attack, his HDD-enhanced strength allowing him to cut down the Nobodies with very little effort.

"That's all they wrote," Silver Heart Nick stated, turning back to Vexen. "And now... you're next."

"Do not think I'm scared of you!" Vexen shouted.

"You should be," Silver Heart Nick proclaimed.

Before Vexen could even gather his bearings, Silver Heart Nick had swiftly closed the distance between them and started attacking fiercely, landing four clean slashes on Vexen before blasting him back into the walls with a super-charged Ripple Drive.

Vexen quickly picked himself up, only to see that everyone except Maylin and Haruka had transformed, assuming their Hard Drive Divinity forms. The Chilly Academic realized that he had probably bitten off more than he could chew, and decided to back away slowly.

"Well, this has been fun, but I know when I am outmatched," Vexen proclaimed. "I will assume a tactical retreat and..."

"Oh, _hell no_! You're not going _anywhere_!" White Heart shouted, dashing in and smashing her axe into Vexen, causing him to stumble. Both White Sisters joined in on the combo by pelting Vexen with star-shaped ice blocks from their staves.

Vexen eventually swung Frozen Pride to put some distance between himself and his attackers, only to be bombarded by laser blasts from Black Sister's gun and struck multiple times by Black Heart's longsword.

"You will _not_ best me!" Vexen shouted, only to be slammed straight into the ground by an overhead swing from Green Heart's spear. This gave Purple Heart and Purple Sister the needed space to attack from both sides while Maylin hung back and fired spell after spell at Vexen.

The Chilly Academic put his shield up in defense, but Haruka quickly charged in and swung Rumbling Rose with all the force she could, cutting through the shield and causing it to shatter into icy shards.

"M-my shield?!" Vexen shouted.

"Nick, get over here and finish him off!" Maylin shouted.

Silver Heart Nick didn't need another invitation, gliding through the air and aiming straight for Vexen, who simply re-summoned his shield. Alas, his effort was for naught.

Silver Heart Nick spun around before ripping forward with a mighty Zantetsuken, cutting through both the shield and Vexen himself.

"This... this wasn't... this was not in my predictions..." Vexen gasped, collapsing to the floor.

"Sorry, Vexen," Nick proclaimed, reverting out of his Harmonization. "But there are some things that science just can't predict. And besides..."

Nick stared down Vexen, actually making the Chilly Academic shrink back in reflexive fear when he saw the expression in Nick's eyes.

"...you hurt my friends. That's a line you're not meant to cross."

Nick lashed out with one more slash, and that was the end of Vexen, who fell flat on his face and dissolved into nothingness.

"YES!" Maylin exclaimed, hopping up and down like an excited schoolgirl. "Not even two stops and we've already taken down a member of the Organization!"

"Remember, Maylin, we've still got twelve more to go," Haruka stated. "And I have a feeling they'll be a lot better than this guy was."

"Aw, Haruka, can't you just let me have my fun for one moment?" Maylin groaned. "We kicked ass and took names! Can't you be happy about that?"

"Well, of course I am, but we've gotta stay on guard for whenever the _next_ one inevitably shows up," Haruka proclaimed. "Besides, I'm not letting you steal the glory next time."

"Oh, is that a _challenge_ I hear?" Maylin proclaimed.

"It could be, if you want it," Haruka cackled.

"Are they... usually like this?" Noire wondered.

"I just let them get it out of their systems," Nick quipped. "They're just teasing each other most of time, anyway."

While Maylin and Haruka continued to barb back and forth about their 'competition', Blanc was the first to notice that a large keyhole had formed on the upper wall of the Basilicom.

"Okay, now what's wrong?" Blanc growled.

"No need to worry," Nick quipped. "This one's mine."

Nick took a few steps forward, then aimed the Kingdom Key for the keyhole. Light shined around the edge of the keyblade before firing a beam into the keyhole, sealing it off with a loud click and letting it dissolve once it was closed.

"And that's another keyhole closed," Nick stated.

"Awww, does that mean you guys have to leave?" Neptune quipped. "It feels like this visit just got started!"

"Such is the life of a keyblade wielder, Neptune," Maylin replied. "We're the ones tasked with saving the worlds, after all."

"We shall await your return, then," Vert proclaimed. "After all, I have a lot of interesting games to show you."

"And if another one of those hooded creeps pop up again, we'll find 'em and Nep-Nep 'em!" Neptune stated heroically. "After all, that's what a good protagonist does!"

Suddenly, Neptune perked up, turning towards her sister. "Hey, Nep Jr., did you bring the thing?"

"Oh, you mean this?" Nepgear replied, handing Neptune a charm shaped like Planeptune's stylized 'N'.

"Here ya go, buddy," Neptune giggled as she handed the charm off to Nick. "From one protagonist to another."

Nick took the charm and attached it to the Kingdom Key, and held it out to view it as it transformed into a new keyblade modeled after the CPUs and Candidates. The handle was comprised of two half-circles with halved sun and moon shapes on each side (from the White Sisters' staves), a hilt composed of a jewel with the patterns of all four nations' symbols etched into it, Purple Heart's wings sprouting out from the hilt, a blade designed like Purple Sister's beam saber, the tip of Green Heart's spear on the very end of the blade overlapping with a blade from White Heart's axe, a set of three teeth that looked suspiciously like Black Sister's spiral ponytails, and a keychain made up of the hilt of Black Heart's sword before ending in the N charm. The words _Processor Unit_ ran through Nick's head.

"How fascinating," Vert laughed.

"We get that a lot," Haruka stated.

Just then, Neptune gasped in surprise when she felt her N-Gear communicator begin to glow brightly.

"Hey, now, what's _this_?" Neptune wondered as the N-Gear floated into the air. "Did my communicator become a key item or something?"

Energy began to gather around Processor Unit's teeth, before eventually absorbing into the ground below Nick and creating the shape of a crown under his feet. As wind began to swirl around Nick's body as he channeled his power, the N-Gear created a wave of light that eventually formed into a large keyhole in the sky.

Nick jumped back, spinning Processor Unit a few times before aiming and firing a beam of light from the keyblade into the keyhole. Reality seemed to shatter in a large circle around the keyhole, lines of light flowing into it before creating a bright flare that caused the keyhole to disappear.

"And with that, the path has been opened!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Well, this is it for now, everybody," Haruka stated.

"Come back soon!" Rom responded.

"Yeah, we'd love to have ya!" Ram laughed.

"We'll be sure to do that," Nick stated as the trio warped back to the Gummi Ship.

"Well, that was fun," Neptune giggled. "Always happy to see my fellow protagonists!"

"Excuse me?!"

Neptune turned around, towards the Basilicom door, and saw Lily standing there, looking like she had just run a marathon. Kingdom Key and Light Seeker were clutched tightly in her hands.

"Did any of you see three keyblade wielders around here?" Lily asked.

"If you mean the ones who helped _us_ out, they just left," Blanc answered.

"Aw, man, I missed them _again_?!" Lily shouted, swinging Light Seeker in frustration. "Dang it, this is why I wish I had a Gummi Ship like them... but, no time to mope now. Hopefully I'll catch 'em in the next world!"

Lily spun on her heel and dashed back down the hallway, leaving the CPUs and Candidates honestly confused.

* * *

"Y'know, Nep was right," Maylin quipped as the trio took their seats. "That visit did feel kinda short."

"Hey, we'll be back for sure," Haruka stated. "And hopefully the Organization will stay away from Gamindustri since we took mister scientist down."

Nick would have responded had he not noticed the blue-armored figure flying through the Lanes Between again.

"Hey, I think I can see that armored person again," Nick stated.

"Oh, that's _it_ ," Maylin proclaimed. "I think it's time we got some answers. Haruka, go to full pursuit!"

"Roger that," Haruka responded, activating the flight controls. The Gummi Ship roared to life and coasted off through the Lanes Between in pursuit of the armored figure.

The chase eventually led the Gummi Ship to a world that seemed to resemble a large palace covered with golden chains.

"Oooookay, what world is _this_?" Haruka wondered.

"I'll explain when we get down there," Maylin replied.

* * *

The world before the trio didn't exactly meet expectations to Nick, as he had expected a castle fit for royalty. Mind, the castle was still there, but in varying states of ruin as if a great battle had taken place here. Now, vines and roots had grown all over the palace, the sky was shrouded in a perpetual (but not oppressive) darkness, and a feeling of desolation pervaded.

"Oof, looks like father darkness _really_ took a bat to this place," Nick quipped. When he didn't get a sarcastic reply from Maylin, he turned towards her, only to see his companion staring in open-mouthed horror at what was left of the palace. "M-Maylin?"

"My _god_... what _happened_ here?" Maylin gasped.

"You've... you've been here before, Maylin?" Haruka wondered.

"This place was like a second home to me while I was in my training days," Maylin explained. "A sanctuary for keyblade wielders like me, a middle ground between the light and the darkness... I have so many fond memories of the Land of Departure... but this... _this_..."

"Hey, Maylin, does this have something to do with that armored figure we keep seeing?" Nick asked.

Before Maylin could answer, a horde of Heartless spawned around them, consisting mostly of Soldiers, a pair of Large Bodies, and what appeared to be large gargoyle statues wielding sharp silver swords.

"God, there's even Heartless _here_ , too?!" Maylin shouted, summoning Counterpoint.

"The statue things are Gargoyle Knights," Haruka explained. "They can fight pretty well, but if you block them, you'll be able to separate the Possessor that's bringing it to life and basically one-shot it."

"Got it," Nick replied.

Maylin decided to vent her rage by blasting the Large Bodies in the face with a high-level Thundaga spell that also destroyed the group of Soldiers surrounding it.

The Gargoyle Knight swiped at Nick, but per Haruka's hints, he raised the Kingdom Key to block the strike, causing the Gargoyle Knight to freeze. Nick leaped into the air and aimed the Kingdom Key towards the Gargoyle Knight, light energy pouring from the teeth into the statue, releasing the Possessor within and destroying the knight instantly.

But, like clockwork, more Heartless spawned in for each one they destroyed.

"Oh, jeez, this is stupid!" Maylin growled, ripping a path through the swarm with a souped-up Firaga blast even as more Heartless spawned in to fill the gap.

Just when it seemed like the Heartless would overwhelm them, a circle of light formed in the sky just above them. As a pair of Large Bodies lunged, the light circle expelled hundreds of lightning bolts downwards, flash-frying the entire swarm without touching the trio.

"Nice shot, Maylin," Haruka giggled.

Maylin looked honestly confused, however. "That... wasn't me."

Still more Heartless spawned, but they were quickly taken care of by both a large conglomeration of fiery meteors, and a wave of snowflakes that exploded into a gigantic ice crystal upon contact.

As Heartless continued to appear, they were just as swiftly dispatched by the impressive showing of elemental abilities, like howling gales, an almost biblical flood, and even a great burst of holy light.

Once the trio was able to stand up and catch their bearings without any more Heartless getting in their way, they decided to look around for whoever had saved their proverbial behinds.

"Whoever that was, they just showed off some pretty amazing magic," Haruka quipped.

"Amazing, my butt," Maylin replied. "That was _phenomenal_ magic! And there's only one person I know besides the Oracle who has magic that strong, and it's definitely not good ol' Himerish..."

And sure enough, the armored figure made her way out of a nearby clearing, dismissing her armor to reveal a young woman that Maylin thought she would never see again. At first, she thought she was seeing things, but the blue hair, azure eyes, and the ocean wave-themed keyblade she carried made her unmistakable to the younger mage.

"Aqua!" Maylin shouted, rushing over to hug the older girl tightly.

"Nice to see you haven't changed much, Maylin," Aqua replied. "But... what are you doing _here_ , of all places?"

"I was going to ask you that yourself, Aqua!" Maylin proclaimed, suddenly all business. "What _happened_ here?! Why does it look like this whole _world's_ been drowned in darkness?! And... did something happen to Terra and Ven?"

Aqua sighed heavily, having expected this. She knew Maylin was very inquisitive, and considering this had once been Aqua's homeland and Maylin's training grounds...

"I knew nothing could get past you for long," Aqua admitted. "Honestly, I'm still searching for them. I've checked so many worlds, and yet I haven't found a single trace of them. As for what happened to the Land of Departure... three years ago, a servant of Izanami-no-Mikoto invaded and plunged everything into darkness. I was separated from Terra and Ven when it happened. Every now and then, I come back here in hopes that I might find them waiting for me, but... you can probably see how that's ended. All that's left here is darkness."

"Hey, hey," Maylin proclaimed. "That doesn't sound like the Aqua I remember. You'll find them eventually. I don't care if we have to scour the depths of hell itself, we'll find them. That's the promise we made, remember? No matter where we are..."

Aqua smiled. "...our hearts will bring us together again."

"May your hearts be your guiding key," Aqua and Maylin recited together, the phrase that both Himerish and Aqua's master always said.

"Oh!" Maylin gasped, having almost completely forgot the introductions. She turned back to her companions and gestured towards Aqua, a bright smile highlighting her expression. "Nick, Haruka, this is my long-time friend and magic teacher, Keyblade Master Aqua."

"Pleased to meet all of you," Aqua replied.

"So, you're the one who taught Maylin magic, huh?" Haruka quipped. "And you're a Keyblade Master, to boot? That's actually pretty awesome."

"I thought Maylin's spells were incredible," Nick stated. "Watching you basically rip the Heartless a new one was impressive."

"Of course my spells are awesome!" Maylin proclaimed. "Being one-third of the power trio who took down the divine ruler, I'd have to be, right? It's just common sense."

Aqua actually seemed quite shocked at this casual reveal. "Divine ruler? You all defeated Izanami-no-Mikoto?!"

"Yep, sent that emaciated bitch packing for good!" Maylin stated.

"I thought it would have been impossible once she and her avatars were reunited," Aqua noted.

"Well, one of those avatars was fighting back," Nick admitted, trying not to cry. Maylin noticed, and moved over to hug him tightly.

"Let's not talk about that, 'kay?" Maylin stated. "It's kind of a sore subject for Nick."

Aqua knew what had probably happened. Nick had that same look she'd had when she realized that she'd been separated from Terra and Ven.

Before she could decide whether or not to ask about it, a localized tremor caught the group's attention.

"What the heck was that?" Maylin quipped.

"I think it came from the castle," Aqua proclaimed. "Let's go check it out."

The four keyblade wielders rushed up the steps to the castle doors, where they saw a strange design on the entrance doors.

"Okay, is that weird to anyone else?" Maylin wondered.

"That's strange... they weren't like this the last time I was here," Aqua realized, readying Brightcrest just in case something tried to jump them.

Maylin took a few steps forward to gently tap the strange design with Counterpoint, then turned around to get some input from her companions, unaware that the design was moving.

"MAYLIN, INCOMING!"

Maylin decided to listen to Nick and leaped backwards, just in time to avoid an overhead fist slam from the door, which had come to life and sprouted two pairs of monstrous stone arms.

"All right, I'm not in any mood for this, so get off that door, freak boy!" Maylin challenged.

The Thresholder simply roared back, swinging its arms around to keep the keyblade wielders from approaching.

Aqua simply raised Brightcrest in preparation for a battle...

...when another Demon Tower crashed through the doors and completely wrecked them, leaving a Possessor to fly off into the dark sky. The Demon Tower twisted through the sky until it faced the keyblade wielders.

"Aw, man, not ANOTHER one of these stupid things!" Maylin exclaimed.

"You've fought these Heartless before?" Aqua wondered, brandishing Brightcrest.

"I've been assaulted by no less than TEN of these things in the past year alone!" Maylin exclaimed as she dove away from the Demon Tower, then came back up firing a Thunder spell into its mass. "And we JUST fought one back on Gamindustri!"

"But why are they still attacking?" Aqua asked, slashing Brightcrest across the Demon Tower's mass as it snaked through the air. "Shouldn't they have all vanished once Izanami-no-Mikoto was defeated?"

"She probably created these as an insurance plan or something," Haruka admitted as she leaped over the Demon Tower to attack its core. "You know, just in case something ever happened."

"Wait, _that bitch_ created these things?!" Maylin shouted.

The Demon Tower took advantage of Maylin's distraction and slammed headlong into her, sending her tumbling down the stairs in an ungainly tumble.

"All right, twister boy, you're going to wish you hadn't done that!" Nick growled, rushing in and unleashing an Ars Arcanum on the Demon Tower.

Aqua gasped to herself when she realized she was suddenly seeing something almost eerily similar. After all, she knew from experience that Ars Arcanum was one of Ven's favorite techniques.

For a few seconds, Aqua saw Ven in Nick's place, performing the attack that eventually cracked through the Demon Tower's mass and left its core exposed to a direct assault.

Maylin quickly raced back up the stairway and used the final step as a jumping-off point to propel herself high into the air. As she leaped, she aimed Counterpoint directly down at the stunned Demon Tower, readying a super spell coin.

" _Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! THUNDAJA!"_ Maylin shouted before striking the coin.

A circle of light beams surrounded the Demon Tower as it continued to swirl around. Before it could think to hatch an escape plan, multiple bolts of lightning began to bombard it from all sides before three wicked thunderbolts cracked down all at once, followed by another bombardment of regular lightning bolts, and finishing with one final, bluish-white thunderbolt surging down into the Demon Tower and causing a great explosion of electricity. Aqua decided to help out by unleashing her own version of Thundaja, the dual barrage finally destroying the Demon Tower.

"And _that's_ how we take care of business," Maylin giggled as she landed gracefully on the ground.

Aqua looked up into the darkened sky, letting Brightcrest rest on her shoulder. "I should probably move on. There's nothing for me here right now."

Maylin rushed over to Aqua before she could leave, staring into the older mage's eyes. "Will we ever see you again, Aqua?"

In response, Aqua just smiled. "Of course you will, Maylin. I just have a lot of worlds to search, and I promised myself I wouldn't give up until I find them. If it's not too much trouble, could the three of you stop by here every now and then? If Terra and Ven ever do show up, this will probably be the first place they'll come."

"Consider it done," Maylin proclaimed. "You're one of my best buds, Aqua, so if there's _ever_ anything you need from me, just let me know, and I'll add it to my to-do list. That's a promise!"

Aqua laughed at Maylin's heroic proclamation. "As expected of you, Maylin. Actually, I have one more favor. Could you hold on to this for me?"

Aqua crossed the distance between them and handed Nick a crystalline charm engraved with the shape of a holy-looking sword.

"This is a special kind of charm," Aqua explained. "You need three people in total to channel its power, but it will call an ally to help you in combat."

"Just like the summon gems from before!" Maylin gasped.

"Then these charms must also contain the spirits of people who lost their worlds to the Heartless," Haruka quipped.

"I think it'll be of more use to the three of you," Aqua stated.

"Hey, Aqua?" Maylin asked right before stepping over and hugging Aqua again. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will, Maylin," Aqua answered. "Best of luck to you three on _your_ journey as well."

No more words needed to be said as Aqua turned around and donned her keyblade armor. After using Brightcrest to open a portal to the Lanes Between, she transformed the keyblade into her glider and rode it into the portal.

"She's so _cool_ ," Haruka stated. "She really taught you all of your magic skills, Maylin?"

"Couldn't have asked for a better teacher, honestly," Maylin answered. "Her other friends Terra and Ven were Aqua's training buddies. They all aspired to be Keyblade Masters someday, and so far Aqua's done it. It was actually almost time for Terra's exam when they lost contact, from what Aqua said."

"That's gotta suck, huh?" Nick quipped. "Here's hoping this place can get back on its feet soon, so they can come home and keep following their dreams."

As the trio returned to where they'd arrived in the world, more Heartless spawned around them, consisting mostly of Gargoyle Knights and Pagemasters.

Maylin simply glanced at Nick, who knew exactly what to do.

A soft silver glow surrounded the trio as Nick began channeling his power into the Angel Charm. After a few seconds, Maylin and Haruka vanished from sight.

 **("ZERO!" by Minami Kuribayashi plays)**

Nick raised Kingdom Key to the sky as the Angel Charm floated to just above him, a burst of holy light emanating from the charm and forming into a girl that appeared about his age.

This girl had long magenta hair that extended all the way down her thighs, with two strands hanging in front, the strands on the right weaved into a small braid, with one particularly long strand of hair protruding from the top of her head, forming a curl that dangled above her face. She opened her yellow-green eyes just in time to raise her right hand and summon her sacred sword.

Emi Yusa glanced around the battlefield at the Heartless that were surrounding them, simply scoffing before glancing back at Nick and smiling.

Nick easily got the message, raising his keyblade so he and Emi could charge into battle together.

Emi jumped to reach a Pagemaster that attempted to shield itself with its book, only for her to easily swing her sword, Better Half, and bisect it vertically, before firing an energy projectile to blast an approaching Gargoyle Knight into rubble.

Even as its Possessor floated off, Nick leapt after it to strike it down while Emi went to work on the rest of the nearby Heartless.

One of the Pagemasters attempted to surround Emi with a vortex of razor-sharp pages, she simply took flight thanks to her Celestial Force and fell back down to deliver a powerful overhead strike that destroyed the Pagemaster.

A Gargoyle Knight began to slash wildly through the air while Nick was distracted fighting off another Pagemaster, but Emi responded by raising her free hand and projecting a magical barrier behind Nick to protect him. Emi dashed in and parried the next strike, freezing the Gargoyle Knight and allowing Nick to release the Possessor from it.

Before Nick could thank Emi for the assistance, more Heartless spawned in around them, consisting of Nightwalkers and Bolt Towers.

Nick and Emi stood back to back, assessing their opponents, before moving in for the attack.

Emi dodged a Bolt Tower's 'snag beam' (Maylin's words) and unleashed her Heavenly Flame Slash, swinging Better Half multiple times to unleash a storm of fiery daggers that easily eliminated the Bolt Tower and a few Nightwalkers behind it.

Still, the swarm of Heartless closed in on them, only for Nick and Emi to silently nod to each other, understand what they were both thinking.

Emi raised Better Half, its blade covered in heavenly fire. Nick switched his keyblade to Processor Unit and raised it above him, its blade glowing with a blue mist.

" _Manifest now, our true power, so that we may vanquish all evil!"_ Nick and Emi shouted, leaping above the horde of Heartless and preparing their weapons for the finishing blow.

Emi slashed downwards, unleashing a rain of fire downwards to entrap the Heartless in a circle of fire. Nick slashed downwards with Processor Unit, ice crystals erupting from his keyblade to freeze the fire circle into an iceberg of sorts.

Finally, Nick and Emi charged their weapons with holy power and fell back to the ground, slicing through the trapped Heartless with an X-strike and flourishing their weapons proudly as the iceberg exploded in a burst of holy light, taking the Heartless out alongside it.

Emi glanced at Nick, winking at Nick before bowing to him. "May justice smile upon you," Emi proclaimed before vanishing in a column of divine light to return to the Angel Charm.

"That was pretty cool, huh?" Nick admitted.

"She was _awesome_!" Maylin exclaimed.

"On that note, I think we should move on," Haruka stated. "There's nothing left for us here right now, either."

That point in mind, the trio returned to the Gummi Ship, just missing the strange figure poking through the nearby bushes.

After slashing through the the offending trees with a keyblade-like weapon, the armored figure set its eyeless gaze on the departing Gummi Ship.

A few seconds passed, and the armored figure turned on its heel and walked slowly up the steps to the ruined castle, what remained of its mind focused on only one thing.

No matter what happened to it, it would made things right in the end.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New Harmonization acquired!_

 **Hard Drive Divinity  
** _Drive Gauge Points Needed:_ **3  
** _Purpose:_ Transform into Hard Drive Divinity for a short time to unleash goddess-boosted strength on your enemies.

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Processor Unit  
** Strength: 6  
Magic: 6  
Ability: Combo Plus  
 _A keyblade representing the four goddesses of Gamindustri. Well-balanced with strength and magic, and increases ground combos by one step._

* * *

 _New summon acquired!_

 **Emi Yusa, the Divine Hero  
** _Drive Gauge Points Needed:_ **3  
** _Purpose:_ Assist Nick in combat with various divine arts. If Nick is defeated in battle, Emi will revive him to full health once per summon.  
 _Limit Attack:_ **Holy Barrage** , where Nick and Emi enter a first-person view to attack distant foes with Emi's energy projectiles.  
 _Charge Gauge_ : For every Heartless or Nobody killed, the Charge Gauge fills 1/6th to allow usage of Emi's finishing move.  
 _Finishing Move:_ **Heavenly Judgment** , when the Charge Gauge is full, Emi will trap all nearby foes in a ring of fire, followed by Nick freezing them into an iceberg, finished by Nick and Emi destroying the iceberg to deal massive damage to all foes trapped.

* * *

On the next episode:

Maylin: Okay, these worlds just keep getting stranger.

Haruka: How so?

Nick: Well, take a look at this. I could swear that we're in a _video game_ now.

Maylin: For a video game, it looks pretty innovative! Is it one of those virtual reality dealies?

Nick: Ugh, don't get me started. Virtual reality makes me queasy.

Maylin: Really, Nick?

Nick: It's not my fault! I'm just not ready to jump on the VR bandwagon yet.

Haruka: Maybe this'll change your tone. There's apparently a super-strong swordsman promising a super attack to anyone who can defeat her. And she hasn't been beaten yet.

Maylin: Hmmm... worthy opponents, huh? Worth investigating!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "Swear to the Sword"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	4. Swear to the Sword

"How many of these weirdo islands does this place have?!" Maylin exclaimed as the Gummi Ship continued through another connecting route, this strange realm full of floating islands and gigantic Nobody ships resembling AT-ATs from Star Wars.

"Incoming Big One, dead ahead!" Nick shouted as Haruka prepared for the approaching opponent. "Are we going Falcon Mode for this one?"

"You'd better believe it, buddy," Haruka laughed, activating the Big Red Button™ and switching the Gummi Ship into Falcon Mode as the Big One encroached on their flight path. This one was a rather large impression of a dragonfly with Nobody spikes all over its body.

"Yeesh, talk about your non-standard ugly set," Maylin quipped.

The dragonfly monster spun around and fired off a swarm of spikes from its bladed tail that the Gummi Ship was barely able to dodge.

"I don't think it liked your insult, Maylin," Haruka teased.

"It's not gonna matter once this thing's toast," Maylin responded.

The Gummi Ship continued to dodge around the dragonfly's spike blasts as its pilots searched for an opening.

The dragonfly reared back to launch another attack, and subsequently revealed a vulnerable spot on its chest cavity that had, until then, been blocked by the beast's razor tail.

"Gotcha!" Nick shouted, firing off a Falcon Burst while the Teeny Ships fired off blasts of their own. The three shots combined into one large energy sphere that exploded on contact with the dragonfly's vulnerable chest, swiftly tearing the creature apart and revealing a large keyhole that the Gummi Ship flew through. After a short trip, they were back out in the Lanes Between, and the barrier surrounding the world ahead vanished into light. The world appeared to be a large forest of sorts, a mystical location like you'd see in an RPG, complete with a large tree in the center and an impressive castle floating above it all.

"Oooh, swank," Maylin giggled.

"Let's hope it lives up to expectations," Haruka stated. "Prepare for landing!"

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** The strange world of ALfheim Online is the next stop for our traveling trio, and it's going to take some time to get used to the fact that they're inside of a video game. As it turns out, this is the home world of another of Nick's former summon allies, but why exactly is the _game_ her world now? And what is another member of the Organization doing snooping around?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World:** Okay, today we're going to the world of Reki Kawahara's _Sword Art Online_ , specifically the Mother's Rosario arc (light novel #7 and episodes 18-24 of anime season 2). Readers of the previous story will know that Yuuki was Nick's final summon there and that Yuuki is one of my absolute favorite anime characters. ONE MOOOOOOORE THING! Big thanks to Lonnie Lonnster/AlexisRhodes74 for designing this world's particular keyblade.

 **UPDATE 10/17/18:** Added the first "DLC", shall we say, in the form of a new "storybook" adventure.

* * *

Episode 4: Swear to the Sword

"Well, it definitely fits the 'enchanted forest' theme I was going for," Maylin quipped as the trio disembarked from the Gummi Ship. Their current location appeared to be a forest, like they'd seen from the Lanes Between, centered around a large tree in the middle.

"Um, I've got a strange question for you guys," Haruka quipped, sounding a little unsure. "Do either of you see a health meter at the corner of your eye? Like you would in a game?"

Nick was the first to check this out, and sure enough, he saw a lot of strange visuals that he hadn't seen in any other world. At the bottom right corner of his eye was a large circle with an oddly anime-styled portrait of himself. Curled around the picture were three different meters. The first and largest was bright green, most likely his health if he knew anything about games, followed by a smaller and segmented blue gauge, which Nick believed to be his magic power. Hanging off the blue gauge was an angled yellow meter labeled "Drive", apparently having something to do with his Drive Forms and Harmonization powers.

To the bottom left of his vision was a small square-shaped menu, segmented into four smaller sections, each labeled "Attack", "Magic", "Item", and "Drive". Flipping the menu with his fingers revealed three extra commands under "Attack", consisting of "Summon", "Party", and "Harmonize".

To the upper right was a simple window labeled "NICK KELLY: LVL. 25", and to his top right was a long, currently-empty bar, which Nick guessed would be for the enemy's health.

No matter which way Nick moved his head, the strange game-like interface would stay in the exact same points of his vision.

"This is tripping me out," Maylin admitted. "Why does it seem like we're suddenly in a game?"

"Maybe because this _world_ is a game of sorts," Haruka stated. "I'm sure in one of these worlds, technology's progressed that far."

"Oh, god, it's one of those virtual reality games, isn't it?" Nick groaned. "Fantastic... I'm _horrible_ with VR."

"Not into the whole VR craze yet, huh?" Haruka giggled.

"Haruka, I tried a Virtual Boy when I was younger," Nick proclaimed. " _Biggest mistake of my life._ "

"That doesn't set the whole precedent, though, ya know?" Haruka quipped.

"I know _that_ , but virtual reality just seems weird to me," Nick explained. "Probably just not used to it yet, even when it seems to be all the hype nowadays. But, I have a feeling I'll _have_ to get used to it while we're in this world..."

"Hey, I think there's someone up there by the tree..." Maylin quipped. "My 'interface' is telling me there's another player just up ahead."

The trio made their way to the tree in question just as a figure stepped out from behind it, hand already on the handle of her sword.

"Hey, sorry, but I'm not accepting any new challengers right now, since everyone's focused on the boss..."

"Wait, that voice," Nick quipped.

It seemed that Yuuki had it completely figured out before Nick did, because she quickly re-sheathed her sword and rushed over to hug Nick.

"I _knew_ I'd be seeing you guys eventually!" Yuuki exclaimed. "Has everything been going all right for you?"

"Pretty much," Maylin giggled. "We're on a new adventure, after all. No rest for the wicked awesome!"

"Say, Yuuki?" Haruka asked. "We have a very odd question to ask you. By any chance, are we inside a game?"

Yuuki smiled proudly, drawing her sword and hefting it in a dramatic fashion. "Why, yes you are, my fellow warriors! This is ALfheim Online, the boundless virtual frontier!"

Yuuki looked back at the trio and flashed a goofy grin. "How was that?"

"So cheesy, but it works," Maylin laughed.

"So, it's like a virtual reality RPG?" Nick asked.

"Basically," Yuuki stated, gazing out at the lush landscapes of this particular floor. "And if this is your first time here, I've gotta give you guys the grand tour!"

Before Nick could take Yuuki up on that offer, he felt a strange flare of darkness from nearby.

"What is it, Nick?" Haruka asked.

"Is it another one of those stupid Demon Tower things?" Maylin groaned. "Because I've seriously had _enough_ of those things popping up in _every stinkin' world_ we visit!"

Nick was about to answer when he saw it.

A swirling vortex of dark energy had formed just by the bridge that lead back to the floor's town level, eventually coming together to form a semi-transparent figure.

Nick had to take a step back when he recognized the figure in question.

It was Marie.

"W-w-wait, what the _hell?!_ " Maylin exclaimed, immediately summoning Counterpoint to her hands.

The shadowy Marie slowly lifted her head to gaze at Nick, opening her eyes only to reveal the sharp gold eyes that marked a Heartless. Out of nowhere, a completely black Kingdom Key flashed into the shadow's hand.

The mere sight of that black keyblade started bringing up painful memories for Nick as his mind flashed back, against his will, to that fateful battle a little over a year ago, where he had been forced to kill Marie in order to destroy Izanami-no-Mikoto and save the multiverse.

" _This is the omen that still hangs over you,"_ the shadowy Marie hissed, even though her mouth made no movement whatsoever.

Nick said nothing, summoning his own Kingdom Key to his shaking right hand.

"Don't you _dare_ ," Nick growled. "Don't you _DARE_ screw with my mind, you black-hearted son of a bitch!"

Both Maylin and Yuuki tried to reach out, but they fell on deaf ears as Nick raised the Kingdom Key and charged straight for the Omen.

Nick quickly unleashed a Zantetsuken, hoping to end this fight quickly before any more painful memories assailed him. Sadly, this was not to be, as the Omen raised her keyblade to easily block the strike before countering with a vicious overhead slash that Nick, still recovering from his own attack, couldn't block in time. Even as Nick went tumbling from the hit, the Omen pressed her own attack, swinging upwards to create a wave of darkness that slammed Nick into the tree.

Speeding past Maylin and Haruka, the Omen continued her assault by slashing Nick across the chest with her dark keyblade, causing Nick to fall to his knees and clutch his wound.

" _You see how it is to be so dark?"_ the Omen hissed. _"You still believe that you failed her, don't you?"_

"Oh, shut up!" Maylin shouted, casting Thundaga to blast the Omen backwards, away from Nick.

" _It is the truth,"_ the Omen responded. _"Despite everything you said you would do, despite your most valiant efforts to save her, YOU FAILED. And now look where we are."_

"I SAID STUFF IT!" Maylin near-screamed, firing off a Firaga spell, only for the Omen to easily dodge it.

" _For the so-called 'hero of the keyblade' to break a promise seems like quite the failure in my eyes. After all, you 'never break a promise', and yet she's dead. Where does that leave you now?"_

Maylin was about to unleash a super spell just to shut this thing up when dark energy exploded from Nick's clothes and forcibly shifted him into Anti-Form again.

"You have _some nerve_ insulting me and my family," Nick growled, his voice low and hateful. "I _will_ make you _suffer_!"

The Omen simply smiled, and this pushed Nick over the edge. Letting out a loud bellow of pure, animalistic rage, Nick practically teleported in front of the Omen, ravaging her shadowy body with his sharp claws as much as he possibly could.

The Omen simply laughed the damage off, slashing forward with her keyblade and catching Nick across the shoulder, interrupting his attack and pushing him away. This only served to enrage Nick further, as he came back with a triple strike followed by slamming his hands into the ground and creating geysers of darkness underneath the Omen, follwed by raising his hands and creating a twister of dark energy blades around him, yet nothing seemed to faze the Omen in the slightest.

" _See? Your rage will get you nowhere. I shall take my leave now. Go ahead and wallow in your failures, you pathetic excuse for a keyblade wielder."_

With those final taunts, the Omen vanished, leaving Maylin to calm down the enraged Nick.

"Nick, please, _please_ calm down," Maylin pleaded. "I don't want to sit through another rerun of last time..."

Sadly, history only seemed to repeat itself, as Nick lost himself to his darkness-induced haze and attacked Maylin with a fierce double claw slash, sending her careening into a nearby pond.

Nick leapt right after Maylin, intending to brutally rip apart anything in his way, but as his claws descended for a fatal blow, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the flowing water.

Rational thought slowly but surely chipped its way back into his mind, and Nick took a few steps back, the darkness of Anti-Form fading away.

Looking down at Maylin, Nick shakily summoned his keyblade again and cast Curaga, relieved to see Maylin's wound disappear completely, even if he broke down into tears the very next second.

"N-Nick, what's the matter?" Maylin asked.

"As... as much as I _hate_ to admit it..." Nick gasped. "That thing was right... I failed her, Maylin. After all the promises I made, my promise that I would save her... I let her down..."

"Nick, don't," Maylin immediately countered. "Don't start believing that thing. It's obviously trying to get to you."

"But it's the _truth_!" Nick shouted, causing Maylin to actually flinch. "I _never_ break my promises, Maylin! NEVER! And... the one promise I _did_ break... cost me the life of my only sister!"

"But it wasn't your fault!" Maylin exclaimed. "That divine bitch was the one who put you into that position!"

"I still _killed her_ , Maylin!" Nick shot back. "Even if she wanted me to do the deed, it still doesn't change the fact that I _killed my sister by my own hand!_ What part of this isn't getting through to you?!"

Maylin just stared at Nick, unable to believe that her best friend was capable of tearing himself down like this.

"What kind of person am I, calling myself a hero when I can't even keep a goddamn promise?!" Nick exclaimed, rushing away before anyone could stop him.

Maylin stared at where Nick had just been, stunned into complete silence.

"Um... pardon me if this isn't the right time, but what exactly _happened_ back there?" Yuuki wondered.

"Well," Haruka started. "You remember Nick's sister Marie, the girl we'd been searching for on our last adventure?"

"Yeah?"

"It turns out she was one of the vessels for an ancient bad guy that we had to take down, but..." Maylin sighed. "The only way we could stop that freak before she became too powerful for us to do anything was... to destroy Marie. I guess I underestimated how much Nick's still hurting about it."

"I know how he feels to lose family," Yuuki quipped. "I'm the only member of my family who's still alive, after all."

"Wait, really?" Maylin gasped. "It's just you?"

"Yeah," Yuuki continued. "AIDS got all of us, and it'll probably be getting me soon, too."

Maylin honestly had no words for the shock she felt at that.

"Wait, Yuuki," Haruka wondered. "If you're suffering from AIDS, um... oh, jeez, how do I put this..."

"Oh, I'm not worried," Yuuki giggled, surprising Maylin and Haruka. "Hey, if it's my time, it's my time. I'll just live my life to the fullest in the time I have left so I can honestly say that I lived with no regrets! I'm not going to let life beat me, after all."

Yuuki suddenly heard footsteps approaching, turning towards the source, only to see a figure in a black cloak dashing across the field like he was scared.

"Run, run away!" the figure stammered.

Maylin inwardly decided she wasn't going to stand for this and immediately summoned Counterpoint, tripping the figure up by firing a Thunder spell just in front of him.

"All right, you," Maylin growled, grabbing the cloaked figure by his collar and yanking him angrily to his feet. "What's your deal?! Did _you_ send that Omen thing to harass us?!"

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" Demyx stammered, quickly wrenching himself out of Maylin's grip.

"Oh, you'd _better_ not cross me, _buddy_ ," Maylin growled, staring Demyx down. The Melodious Nocturne could clearly see the burning anger in Maylin's expression. "Frankly, I don't give a _damn_ that you're a part of the Organization. You _clearly_ saw what just happened, and you should know that I don't tolerate _anyone_ upsetting my best bud in the universe."

Maylin punctuated her threats by aiming Counterpoint straight for Demyx's face. "And if I find out the Organization's responsible for that Omen jerk, or, god forbid, _you_ were the one who summoned it, you'd best pray to whatever god or devil you serve, because not even _Kingdom Hearts itself_ will be able to fix what I'm going to do to you."

Demyx yelped in terror before opening a dark corridor behind him and making himself scarce almost immediately.

Maylin just sighed, resting Counterpoint on her shoulder.

"Holy _crap_ , Maylin," Haruka quipped. "I don't think I've _ever_ seen you that angry."

"Well, the bastard deserves it," Maylin huffed.

"Okay, so... what should we do now?" Yuuki asked.

"Simple," Maylin answered. "We go find Nick."

* * *

"Where _is_ he?" Lily groaned, searching around this strange landscape for any sign of her target. "I _know_ he's here, and I'm not missing him a third time!"

Heartless popped up at intervals to jump her, but Lily simply swung both of her keyblades to clear them out. She didn't want anything distracting her.

After a few more minutes, Lily finally spotted Nick leaning against a rock formation, looking incredibly upset for some reason.

"Papa..." Lily sighed wistfully. She quickly snapped to attention when she saw a muscular red-haired man in armor approaching Nick with obviously bad intent.

"What are _you_ doing here, outsider?" the Salamander growled.

"Um, _excuse_ me?" Nick shot back.

"You've got some nerve stepping in your opponent's territory, boy," the Salamander proclaimed. "All on your own, too? You must really have a death wish."

"I'm warning you, jackass," Nick snarled, summoning Kingdom Key to his hands. "I am in an _extremely_ foul mood right now. So, if you keep pushing my buttons, I don't think you'll survive the consequences."

"Oh, is that right?" the Salamander laughed, drawing his large and serrated sword. "Well, sorry, but there's no penalty for PKing in this game, you know. So I'm _well_ within my rights to do this."

"You leave papa alone, jerk-face!"

Lily leaped out from the nearby bushes and lashed out, planting her right foot square into the Salamander's face and knocking him away from Nick.

"You're going to regret that, little girl," the Salamander growled.

"I think you've got it the other way around," Lily shot back. " _You're_ going to regret trying to hurt papa when he's clearly in pain."

Lily wasn't going to let the Salamander get any kind of witty retort in, and flicked her hands out to summon Kingdom Key and Light Seeker to her hands. The Salamander backed up pretty quickly after that, as if he could now understand Lily's potential.

"Oh, yeah," Lily proclaimed. "You're in trouble now."

The Salamander didn't get any warning as Lily rushed in and began to assail him with wickedly fast slashes from both of her keyblades, not giving her opponent any chance to break free of the assault.

Lily leaped into the air, and for the finisher, she did two backwards somersaults before performing an upwards X-slash that caused the Salamander to shatter into shards of light, leaving behind a dark red flame where he had been defeated.

 _Eh, he'll respawn eventually,_ Lily thought. She knew this world was a video game; after all, her vision held the same "interface" that Nick was seeing as well.

"Hey, you're that girl, aren't you?" Nick asked. "The one who saved me from Axel back in Heatherfield?"

"Yep!" Lily giggled.

"Okay, I have a couple questions to ask, actually," Nick stated. "Most of all, who exactly _are_ you?"

Lily twirled and did a cute pose. "My name's Lily, thirteen years old. Ice skater in training, most fashionable girl of Sheffield Institute two years running, and..."

Lily's eyes twinkled. "...I'm your daughter from the future!"

That line instantly snapped Nick to attention. "Wait, my _daughter_? Is that why you keep calling me 'papa'?"

"Of course! You're my papa, so that's what I call you!" Lily laughed.

"I'm assuming you can't tell me _who_ I get married to in the future?" Nick quipped.

"Oh, papa, it should be obvious," Lily stated.

Nick's face instantly turned red once he realized what Lily was talking about. But when Nick saw Lily's sad face for a brief second, he realized something else.

"Okay, second question, Lily. Why exactly did you travel back in time?"

"Simple," Lily replied with a conviction that very much reminded Nick of his own. "The Organization. They're from my time, and they're just as dangerous then as they are now, so the Oracle sent me back in time so I could take care of them before they ever become a problem."

Nick then cast an errant glance at Lily's _two_ keyblades. As far as he knew, he was the only known keyblade wielder who could dual-wield. And one of her keyblades was the exact same as his base keyblade.

"All right, third question," Nick asked. "Part one, where did you learn how to wield a keyblade, and part two, how can you wield _two_? I thought I was the only one who could."

Lily suddenly sighed heavily, gazing at her reflection in her Kingdom Key, much like Nick had done since _that_ day.

"Hey, if I brought up any bad memories, I'm sorry..."

"It's not you, papa," Lily answered. "You gave me the ability to wield a keyblade. Well, _future_ you did. We performed the Inheritance Ceremony together, and I got my keyblade only a few minutes after that. As for the other part to your question... in my time, mama and papa were killed by the Organization just before I jumped back in time. That's why I'm so dead-set on taking them down."

Lily glanced at Light Seeker for a second. "And, to be honest, I don't know why I can wield two keyblades. I just had my own until I found mama and papa and the jerk who killed them. To tell you the truth, this Kingdom Key is actually my papa's, but I got it when I went to attack that jerk."

"And, if you _are_ my daughter, you'll know where I got _my_ Kingdom Key from," Nick stated.

"From Auntie Marie, of course," Lily giggled, though she instantly regretted bringing up that particular memory when she saw a few tears falling from Nick's eyes. "Papa, what's wrong?"

"If you've been following me..." Nick sighed, "then I'm sure you saw what happened back there. That Omen... _thing_... pretty much _effectively_ and _brutally_ reminded me that no matter how much I did, I actually failed Marie in the end."

Nick took a voluntary step back as Lily rushed over and hugged him tightly.

"Papa, don't," Lily stated. "Whatever that Omen jerk was, it was just trying to get in your head. You _never_ failed her. You _freed_ her. Think of it this way, papa: would you have wanted her to be trapped as that freak-o's vessel for all of eternity?"

"N-No..."

"There you go, then. And don't _ever_ think you broke your promise to Marie," Lily continued. "Even if she's not physically with you, as long as you keep her in your heart, she'll always be watching over you. That was what you promised each other, right? And I know for a freakin' _fact_ , papa, that that's a promise that can _never_ be broken."

Nick just stayed in the position he was in, letting all of Lily's speech sink in. After a couple seconds, Nick hugged his future daughter back.

"Never took you to be the philosopher type, Lily," Nick laughed.

"I learned it from you, papa," Lily giggled.

"Serious talk, though," Nick stated. "Thanks for the pep talk, Lily. I still miss Marie, you know? And I guess I underestimated just _how_ much I missed her. All it took was that one little barb, and the Omen just forced its way into my mind. It's like it _knows_ what my insecurities are or something... but I'll definitely never make _that_ mistake again."

"Glad to hear it, papa!" Lily laughed.

As they let each other go, Nick suddenly felt a strange power emanating from his Kingdom Key. As if guided by some unseen force, Nick placed both hands on the handle of the Kingdom Key, then yanked them apart, creating two copies of the Kingdom Key that swiftly transformed into Oathkeeper and Oblivion, his preferred pair of keyblades to use when dual-wielding.

"There we go, papa! _Now_ you're ready to kick some butt!" Lilt exclaimed.

"Ah, it's been a while since I dual-wielded," Nick quipped. He didn't count Drive Forms as dual-wielding, technically. Whenever he merged with Haruka to use Valor Form, he could feel Haruka being the one to control her keyblade during the transformation. They each controlled one side, as Haruka often put it.

"Well, I should probably get going," Lily stated, lifting her own keyblades. "Things to do, after all."

"You sure you'll be all right on your own?" Nick wondered. "Now that I know you're my daughter... well, I'm sure we've been through this shtick before."

"Hey, I'm not scared," Lily stated. "Just let those Organization jerks try something!"

"That definitely sounds like something I'd say," Nick sighed. "I think Maylin's been a bad influence on me. Just... take care of yourself, okay?"

"You got it, papa!" Lily giggled before slashing Light Seeker vertically to create a portal to somewhere that she quickly entered, waving goodbye to Nick the whole time.

Nick stood there for a few seconds, staring at where Lily had just been.

"Yep. She's my daughter, all right."

"HEY, NICK!"

Having expected something like this, Nick wisely stepped to the side so that Maylin went flying through the air and into another nearby pond.

"Ack, why'd you dodge me, Nick?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Because the _last_ time I got hit by one of your flying hugs, we _both_ ended up in about five feet of mud," Nick quipped, silently repressing _that_ particular debacle. "Definitely never going to _that_ park during a storm ever again. I _still_ can't believe I let Irma talk me into that."

Maylin quickly picked herself up, shaking the water out of her robes before walking up to Nick. "What, I can't hug my best bud ever?"

"I never said that," Nick teased. "Just don't come flying at me and make us _both_ pay for it, silly."

"I can live with those terms," Maylin commented before pulling Nick into her arms, hugging him tightly as if she never wanted to let go. "You _are_ feeling better, right, Nick? We were so worried about you when you ran off..."

"I just needed a pep talk from someone," Nick answered. "And I promise, if we ever run into that Omen thing again, it's gonna regret ever messing with me."

Maylin just smiled, happy to have her friend back.

"So, who did you talk to?" Haruka wondered.

"My daughter."

Maylin did a swift double take at that. "Wait just a minute here, you've got a _kid_?!"

"Well, in the future, I do," Nick stated. "Lily's that girl that saved my bacon when Axel attacked me back in Heatherfield, and she's my daughter in the future. Basically, Organization XIII came from her time, and she jumped back alongside them so we can take them down before they ever become a threat. I have no idea why they're back here, but that's why we've gotta stop 'em."

"Like that one I scared off before we came running," Maylin proclaimed, looking rather proud of herself. "One of them was running away from something, and I basically sent him running for the hills by threatening to bring down _all_ of my wrath."

"Y-you're scary, you know that?"

Maylin immediately spun around, her gaze trained on Demyx, who had just appeared at the edge of the field.

"What did I tell you, jerk?!" Maylin growled.

"I-I know, but I have my orders," Demyx stammered. "Much as I hate the idea of messing with someone who terrifies me so badly, I n-need to do my civic duty and bring 'him' in. N-Now, what did they say to do?"

" _Excuse_ me?" Nick quipped.

Demyx reached into his pocket, where a hand-written note was waiting. "Hmmm... 'If the subject fails to respond, use aggression to liberate his true disposition.' _Right_... jeez, they really picked the wrong guy for this job..."

"You're bizarre, you know that?" Yuuki groaned.

Demyx didn't respond, just raising his hands and summoning his weapon, the sitar Arpeggio. As he began to play on it, a horde of strange water creatures began to appear all around him.

"Okay, _that's_ different!" Haruka exclaimed.

Nick decided not to waste time talking, rushing over and slashing hard with Processor Unit, cutting down a few of the water forms.

Maylin spun Counterpoint around before casting Thundaga, cutting a swath through the horde of water forms.

Haruka leaped into the air and came down swinging, slamming Rumbling Rose into the ground and unleashing a pink shockwave that obliterated even more water forms.

Even Yuuki got into the act, dashing around with incredible speed and grace and slicing down water forms left and right with her sword.

Once the first swarm was cut down, more water clones formed, only these ones had wings and immediately took to the sky.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Maylin shouted. "You water bastards can't just _grow freakin' wings_ and chicken out when you're getting stomped!"

Yuuki just smirked, activating her own Imp wings and taking to the sky to meet the flying water clones head-on. Even in the air, Yuuki fought with the same fluidity and grace she showed on land, destroying the water clones left and right with each swing of her sword.

It wasn't much longer before Demyx stopped playing and summoning more clones. "I _told_ them I wasn't cut out for this..." Demyx sighed before vanishing via corridor of darkness.

"Yeah, run, coward," Maylin groaned.

"Guy's a broken record, honestly," Haruka sighed.

"Guess all we can do is keep moving until we find some answers," Nick stated. "Let's move out, everyone."

"Follow me, you guys. I know just the place!" Yuuki stated, activating her wings and taking off, leaving the keyblade wielders to catch up.

Yuuki led them through many different areas, eventually settling on what they read as "floor twenty-two", the journey finally ending at a small lakeside house.

"Say, you guys?" Yuuki wondered. "Do you know anything about those weird monsters that kept attacking us on the way here? I didn't think that monsters could suddenly start attacking us in what's _supposed_ to be a safe zone. You think the developers might have bugged something up?"

"Those aren't monsters from the game," Nick instantly answered. "Those were Heartless, creatures born from the darkness of people's hearts."

"How long have they been around here?" Maylin wondered.

"Honestly, only a couple days," Yuuki replied. "After me and my friends cleared the floor twenty-eight boss fight, a lot of players kept saying something about a glitch that let monsters into safe zones."

"It was the Heartless, then," Haruka quipped. "They're not bound by this world's limitations, sadly."

As the group approached the house, Yuuki was the first to notice a strange occurrence in the sky just above the forest house.

"Hey, are my eyes weirding out again, or is there a giant keyhole in the sky?" Yuuki wondered.

Nick immediately summoned the Kingdom Key and aimed it for the keyhole, firing a beam of light into it and sealing it off with a loud click.

"Well, that's another keyhole down," Haruka stated.

"You guys see a lot of weird things on these adventures of yours, don't you?" Yuuki giggled.

"Oh, you haven't even seen _half_ of the nonsense yet," Maylin laughed.

Nick gazed to his right, as he had caught something out of the corner of his eye. He saw a figure standing right next to the house's doorway, studying the house carefully and debating whether or not to force his way in.

"Those two look _really_ strong..." Demyx groaned. "I swear, why do they send me out on missions like this when they _clearly_ know that I'm not cut out for the really dangerous things?"

"YOU AGAIN!" Maylin shouted, scaring Demyx so badly that he fell back on his behind. "What the _hell_ are you doing back here, jerk-face?!"

Demyx quickly picked himself up, trying to think of some way to save face. Thinking quickly, he composed himself and tried to appear jovial. "Hey, you guys are looking lively as always."

"You know, I'm curious. How'd a wimp like you make it into the Organization?" Haruka wondered.

"I bet you can't even fight," Maylin taunted. "You just hide behind your water clone things whenever things get ugly, am I right? Stop me if I'm wrong."

"You know, it's a bad idea to judge someone by appearance," Demyx proclaimed, trying to sound intimidating, only to immediately shrink back in reflexive fear of Maylin's anger. "Ooh, I _told_ them they shouldn't have sent me... send the time-dude, or miss lightning witch, not me..."

Nick was honestly more confused than anything else. "Who... exactly, _is_ this kook?"

"Hey, remember, Nick, the Organization's made of Nobodies," Haruka reminded. "No hearts, remember?"

"Oh, we do _too_ have hearts," Demyx answered. "Don't be upset or anything."

"Oh, stop trying to fool us," Maylin groaned.

"And _what,_ exactly, were you planning to do to Kirito and Asuna, ya weirdo?!" Yuuki challenged.

"My orders were to eliminate them if they got in my way, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't stand a chance against them," Demyx admitted. "I keep saying that I'm not a fighting man. I'd rather have the others do my dirty work, like unleashing that specter thing and even that really cool music trick that..."

Demyx immediately decided to mentally backpedal a couple sentences, only to quickly realize, to his growing horror, that he'd inadvertently blabbed about something he probably shouldn't have. Just to be sure, he chanced a glance at Maylin, and her narrowed eyes were positively _blazing_ with a fury he'd never seen in _anyone_ before, not even Saix when he went berserk.

In all honesty, Demyx knew that he was completely screwed. "W-wait, that's not what I meant, I-I just, I didn't..."

"So _you're_ the one who summoned that Omen thing?!" Maylin growled, her anger peaking as she summoned Counterpoint. "Ooh, I warned you, freak show, didn't I? I warned you, but you just _refused_ to listen. I gave you _one chance_ to walk away and leave us alone, and you freaking _BLEW IT!_ "

Maylin spun Counterpoint in her hands, lightning crackling along its blade like it had been blessed by Zeus himself. "I'll give you _one minute_ to pray, asshole, because you're not leaving this place alive."

Demyx, his mind made up, put on a hardened grin and narrowed his eyes, hoping to intimidate his opponents. "Silence, traitors."

Not waiting for any of them to respond, Demyx summoned Arpeggio to his hands and struck a show-tune pose, a spiral of water surrounding him as he did so.

"Don't think I'm intimidated, freak!" Maylin challenged.

"Dance, water, dance!" Demyx shouted, playing Arpeggio to summon a horde of his water clones, which immediately took to the sky.

"All right, I'm getting real sick of this," Maylin proclaimed, casting Thundaga and obliterating a fair chunk of the clones.

Yuuki wasted no time in unfurling her wings, only to be stopped by Nick. "Hey, can I try something, really quick?" Nick asked, to which Yuuki nodded. Nick let his hands rest on Yuuki's shoulders, concentrating on what he wanted most out of this moment. A ring of bright white energy surrounded the both of them.

" _Harmonization Ready!"_ Nick shouted, the ring of light shattering around them and allowing Nick to sprout two pairs of wings from his back that resembled those of a mythical fairy creature.

"Let's do this," Nick proclaimed, taking to the skies alongside Yuuki. The two of them lashed out with their respective weapons, cutting down Demyx's clones left and right.

After a few minutes, no more water clones were summoned, and Maylin honestly looked _disappointed_. "Is that _really_ all you've got?! Sorry to disappoint you, but that was _pathetic_!"

"Well, sorry to disappoint _you_ , but this concert's just getting started!" Demyx proclaimed, playing a few power cords on Arpeggio and causing geysers of water to erupt from the ground around him, forcing the four heroes to back away.

Even as Demyx continued to surround himself with water geysers, Nick and Yuuki were easily able to fly over them, thanks to their wings, and swoop down from above to attack the Melodious Nocturne.

"Special delivery!" Nick shouted before firing a Thunder spell directly downward to blast Demyx backwards.

"My turn!" Yuuki exclaimed, landing right in front of the dazed Demyx and immediately going on the offensive, readying her sword and stabbing outwards five times, creating a horizontal line down Demyx's chest. Yuuki spun around and stabbed out five more times, creating another line going the opposite way, both lines forming a sort of X. Finally, Yuuki reared back and thrust her sword forward with a loud battle cry, driving the point of her blade straight into the center of the X she'd formed with her earlier sword stabs. Purple light exploded around them as Mother's Rosario did its damage, sending Demyx flying into the nearby lake.

"That's what you get, jerk," Yuuki giggled.

"I don't think he's done yet," Nick quipped. Sure enough, Demyx jumped out of the lake, playing another cord that caused large bubbles to rain down onto the battlefield.

Maylin remedied this by casting Thundaga, the bolts of electricity clearing out any errant bubbles and shocking Demyx into a stunned state.

"RIOT!" Maylin shouted, and everyone took this as their cue to rush in and wail on Demyx while he couldn't move. After a few seconds, Demyx recovered and blasted everyone away with a wall of geysers.

"Come on, you guys, keep up with the beat, why don'tcha?" Demyx cackled, swinging Arpeggio in random directions. Each swing caused a pair of geysers to rise up in the direction of the swing, keeping the heroes from approaching him.

"Okay, I'm getting sick of this," Haruka groaned, slipping through a space in the geyser assault and slamming Rumbling Rose into the ground, causing the ground under Demyx to explode violently and deal some much-needed damage. "Nick, let's wail on him."

"You know it," Nick stated. Haruka reached out to touch Nick's shoulder as silver light exploded from his body. When it cleared, Nick was back in Valor Form, dual-wielding Rumbling Rose and Processor Unit.

Demyx picked himself up, realizing that he was probably about to get demolished, as Larxene had always said. Valor Form Nick quickly confirmed that for him as he went on the attack, slashing wildly with his dual keyblades and not giving Demyx a single chance to break out.

Eventually, Valor Form Nick finished his combo with Brave Beat, knocking Demyx into the air so he could leap after him and continue the assault. Demyx, in one last vain attempt to defend himself, raised Arpeggio to tank the incoming attack, but Valor Form Nick dashed those hopes with a Sonic End that destroyed Arpeggio.

Demyx collapsed to the ground, lamenting the loss of his weapon and just waiting for Valor Form Nick to end it.

"Say, Maylin? Why don't you do the honors?" Valor Form Nick asked.

Maylin smiled evilly, raising Counterpoint in anticipation. "Ooh, I'd be _delighted_ ," Maylin cackled, readying a super spell coin.

Demyx looked up at Maylin, holding out for one last hope, and tried his best to look apologetic.

"Don't _even_ feed me that home-grown crap, buddy," Maylin proclaimed, not buying it for a second. "I gave you a chance, you know. I offered you a way out to save your ass, and you just couldn't let it go, could you?!"

"B-But I was just following orders!" Demyx exclaimed. "I didn't even wanna go on this stupid mission anyway!"

"Doesn't mean a _damn_ thing!" Maylin shot right back. "You made Nick cry. And _that_ , in my honest opinion, is _unforgivable_."

Maylin decided she was done talking, tossing the super spell coin into the sky and spinning Counterpoint dramatically.

" _Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! THUNDAJA!"_ Maylin shouted before striking the coin.

A circle of light beams surrounded Demyx, who was still trying to weasel his way out. Just then, multiple bolts of lightning began to bombard Demyx from all sides before three wicked thunderbolts cracked down all at once, followed by another bombardment of regular lightning bolts, and finishing with one final, bluish-white thunderbolt surging down into Demyx's body and causing a great explosion of electricity. Once the storm cleared, Demyx had finally had enough, slumping to his knees as his body faded back into darkness.

"And that's the end of you," Maylin proclaimed.

"What _was_ all that?!" a new voice called out. Yuuki was the first to see her friends Kirito and Asuna make their way out of the house, no doubt being drawn by the commotion of the battle with Demyx.

"Oh, nothing to worry about," Yuuki giggled. "We just stomped on a bad guy."

"But this is a safe zone, right? Monsters shouldn't be able to get in here," Kirito quipped. "Unless they're some of those glitched-out monsters that people have been seeing lately..."

"It's a long story, honestly, but short-hand, the game's not glitched," Maylin stated. "We just sent the guy responsible packing... well, _I_ did, at any rate."

"That was surprisingly brutal, even for you, Maylin," Haruka laughed once she and Nick had split back into themselves.

"Hey, the asshole deserved every last jolt of that!" Maylin countered. " _No one_ makes my best friend cry and lives to brag about it!"

Kirito and Asuna just looked confused until Yuuki decided to say something. "Oh, Asuna, these are the friends I kept telling you about, the ones I met while I was gone!"

Asuna had been quite confused when Yuuki had shown up one day and began talking about the adventures she'd had while stuck in the Heartjewel, as she was the only one in this world who remembered that their world had been swallowed by darkness.

"And boy, do I have a lot of stories to tell you!" Yuuki giggled.

The little fairy that had been perched on Kirito's shoulder began to fly around, noticing something curious about the trio.

"Daddy, I don't see any information on these three," Yui stated.

"That's because we're not really from this world," Nick answered. "Like I said earlier, it's a pretty long story."

Suddenly, Yui's tiny body began to glow with a bright light. "W-what is _this_ , now?" Yui gasped. Nick just nodded to his comrades, holding Processor Unit out.

Energy began to gather around Processor Unit's teeth, before eventually absorbing into the ground below Nick and creating the shape of a crown under his feet. As wind began to swirl around Nick's body as he channeled his power, the glow surrounding Yui created a wave of light that eventually formed into a large keyhole in the sky.

Nick jumped back, spinning Processor Unit a few times before aiming and firing a beam of light from the keyblade into the keyhole. Reality seemed to shatter in a large circle around the keyhole, lines of light flowing into it before creating a bright flare that caused the keyhole to disappear.

"Whoa, talk about a light show, eh?" Yuuki laughed.

"A new road is open," Nick proclaimed. "Which means we've got more worlds to help out."

"A hero's work is never done, after all!" Maylin stated heroically.

"It's just what we do best," Haruka admitted. "We've got quite a bit of experience in _that_ field."

"Hey, if you're gonna go, take this with you," Yuuki replied, dashing over to Nick and handing him a small charm. "I think it'll be more useful in your hands."

Nick, like clockwork, attached the charm to his keyblade and watched it transform into a new keyblade. The main body and handle resembled Yuuki's sword, though the larger yellow diamond was replaced by a purple heart. The teeth of the blade was a purple heart with two wings based on the personal symbol of Yuuki's guild, the Sleeping Knights, the handle guard was shaped like Yuuki's Imp wings, and the keychain was an Imp symbol connected to the base by a long chain that resembled Yuuki's headband. The words _Absolute Sword_ ran through Nick's mind as he studied the weapon.

"Well, you guys have fun out there, okay?" Yuuki stated. "And be sure to call every once in a while!"

"Will do!" Nick exclaimed as the trio began to make for the nearby clearing.

"Hey, Maylin?" Asuna asked, stopping Maylin in her tracks.

"What's up?" the young mage asked.

Maylin was expecting Asuna to ask any one of a myriad of questions... anything other than what she _did_ ask.

"You love him, don't you?"

Maylin's face instantly heated up at that seemingly innocent comment. After a few seconds of debate, Maylin sighed in acceptance.

"...yeah. Yeah, I do," Maylin answered. "I know it sounds weird, especially when I've only known him for a little over a _year_ at this point, _and_ he's got a girlfriend waiting for him back home, but..."

Maylin looked up towards the sunset sky, casually spinning Counterpoint in her hand. "He's been so good to me, honestly. Haruka and I were really all he had for most of our past adventure. I was just so happy to finally make another friend after I lost everything that I had, that I... guess I just didn't question if it was love or just really super-strong friendship."

Maylin sighed again, glancing at her reflection in Counterpoint. "But I guess I was just fooling myself in the end. Nick kept on gushing about how much he was crushing on Cornelia, and I teased him a lot about it. Though I never meant any harm by it, now I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe... I was doing it to hide how _I_ really felt. I didn't know if I had a chance with him, so when he finally got his chance to confess to Cornelia, I kinda egged him into confessing. I mean, I'm glad it worked, but..."

Maylin turned back to Asuna and her knowing gaze. "...sometimes I still wonder what might have been. Am I weird for thinking that?"

"Not at all," Asuna answered. "If there's anything _I've_ learned from my time with Kirito, it's that you can't really control who you fall in love with, after all. Love just happens sometimes, even in the most unlikely of situations."

"Do you guys think I should ever tell him?" Maylin asked.

"I'd think that should be _your_ decision," Yuuki replied. "If he cares about you, and I _know_ he does, he'll understand. After all, you three have an unbreakable bond, right?"

"Yeah," Maylin giggled, turning on her heel and rushing off to catch up with her friends.

* * *

"Another world down!" Maylin proclaimed, taking her usual seat at the cockpit. "We're really rolling, aren't we?"

"All in a day's work, right?" Haruka laughed. "Shall we be off to our next destination, then?"

"You're the pilot," Nick teased.

"Darn tootin' I am," Haruka laughed.

Maylin glanced back at Nick, unable to stop a sudden blush from highlighting her cheeks. _Now's not the time, Maylin,_ she thought. _I'll tell him later, when we're done with this whole adventure. Besides, I need time to think about just HOW I'm going to tell him..._

Thankfully, Maylin was saved from distractions about her sudden revelation when she noticed something appear on the map screen.

"Hey, did a new world appear already?" Maylin wondered.

"Actually, I think we're getting a call from the Pretty Cures," Haruka answered. "Fortune's saying that she found something that we might need to see. Shall we go check it out?"

"I reiterate, you're the pilot," Nick laughed.

"Good to know we're all clear on that," Haruka teased. "Let's go see what the hubbub's all about, then!"

Haruka returned to the controls, piloting the Gummi Ship towards the Blue Sky Kingdom.

* * *

"Hey, guys, what's the skinny?" Maylin asked once the trio had entered the Restoration Committee headquarters. "You said you found something that might interest us?"

Cure Fortune, currently the only one in the room, looked up as the trio walked up. "Actually," Cure Fortune answered, holding up a strange-looking book. The cover displayed four high-school age girls with a fifth, slightly older girl with pink hair flying near them on what appeared to be an old Vespa scooter.

"A book?" Haruka quipped.

"A _magical_ book," Cure Fortune answered. "Apparently, there's a whole world inside the pages of this book. And since I've heard you guys have dealt with magical storybook worlds before, I figured you'd be the best ones to call about this one."

"Well, say no more," Nick proclaimed. "If I must investigate, then investigate I must."

Cure Fortune couldn't help but burst into laughter. "W-what cheesy television show did _that_ line come from?" Cure Fortune laughed.

"Ah, an old detective drama from my world," Nick admitted. "Long story."

Cure Fortune steadied herself so she could open the storybook. Green light shined outwards from the pages and created a small vortex that eventually pulled Nick into it.

* * *

"What the heck is Sudo's problem, anyway?! He was _way_ louder than any of us were!" Kana Koumoto proclaimed. "That _really_ pisses me off."

 _Every day just drifts off into an orange light._

"Yeah, he really should take it down a notch," Man 'Mossan' Motoyama responded.

 _It's too bright for my migraine or my eyes that are swollen from crying all night._

"Yeah, but he's just a big wimp on the inside," Hijiri Yajima replied, still gazing at the image on her phone.

 _...but familiarity can be a novelty._

"Oh, wait, what exactly was Sudo going on about, anyway?" Kana asked.

"You mean the post-graduation stuff?" Tomomi 'Pets' Hetada answered.

"Yep," Kana groaned. "Seriously, how are we supposed to know _exactly_ what we wanna do with our lives _right stinkin' now_?! Let's be real here, we've only been alive seventeen years, so how would _we_ know that?"

 _So even if tomorrow is just a gathering of yesterdays, cracked and tangled..._

"Besides, your grades are just average, and when it comes to sports, you're barely mediocre," Pets teased, the smile never leaving her face.

"Hey!" Kana sniped back. "I'll have you know that the ping-pong club says one of the hardest things to be in life is average."

"I'm planning to marry rich," Hijiri admitted, scrolling through the pictures on her phone. "Maybe to a basketball player, or how about a famous rapper? I could _totally_ see myself doing that."

 _...like my favorite nail art and worn out loafers..._

"Like Kardashian did?" Mossan quipped.

"Sure, why not?" Hijiri giggled.

Kana yawned and stretched before lying back down on Mossan's lap. "You know what I'd like?" Kana asked. "I'd like to be visited by something cool, like a talking cat. Then, I'd get, like, a magical wand."

Unknowingly, Kana had no idea just how right she was about her wish.

 _...in this city, I will..._

Nick glanced around the city as he continued to explore. This was definitely nothing like the world inside the Pipo Storybook had been, which had mostly consisted of short stays in the Travel Station before going out to fight one of the Freaky Monkey Five and eventually Specter.

"There's a whole city here," Nick quipped. "How _exactly_ do entire worlds get stuck inside books? That's what I want to know."

Nick glanced towards a restaurant just across the street, where Kana was waving goodbye to her friends.

"So, I'll see you all at the community center after work!" Kana exclaimed to her friends.

As Kana turned to walk into the restaurant, her eyes met Nick's.

"Oh, hey," Kana stated. "You new around here? You've kinda got that 'new guy in town' look about you."

"Well, you could say that," Nick laughed.

Before Kana could ask Nick where he'd come from, several spheres of darkness surrounded them and formed into angel-like Heartless with two pairs of golden wings made of two large wings and two smaller wings attached to the top of them, all the wings kept on with two bright yellow orbs at the joints. Their bodies were made of transparent glass that formed the shape of a bell, housing a filament that resembled the jagged jawlines of many other Heartless. The bell body rested on a tapering blue-colored stand which ended in a spike and was decorated with two pale gold rings. The top of the glass was covered with a blue cap, on top of which was a tear shaped gold topper which featured three shining bright gold dots towards the bottom resembling eyes, and the top end of it was curled in a manner reminiscent of the hats of several other types of Heartless.

"W-what the heck are _those_ things?!" Kana exclaimed.

One of the Angel Stars floated over to slash at Kana with its wings, but Nick was quicker on the draw, summoning Absolute Sword to his hands and ripping through the Angel Star with a Blitz attack, something he hadn't done in a while.

"Fantastic, there's even Heartless in a _book_ ," Nick groaned. "Just my luck."

"Um... sorry, but I'm confused," Kana sighed.

"I would be, too," Nick admitted. "Just stay back there where it's safe while I clean house here."

Three Angel Stars surrounded Nick in a triangle formation, but Nick simply let them get close before blasting them all away with a Ripple Drive.

Nick leaped to attack another Angel Star, only for it to fold its wings across its body and cause Nick's attack to bounce right off.

"Oh, _that's_ just cheap," Nick growled, leapfrogging off the Angel Star in question and slashing at its back to get it to drop its makeshift shield.

As another cluster of Angel Stars approached him, Nick raised Absolute Sword and cast Thundaga, only for the Angel Stars to absorb the electricity and fire it at him all at once.

The bolts all converged and exploded, creating a large crater where they struck. Kana looked up to see that Nick had jumped to dodge the attack.

"Okay, not using that on these things again," Nick quipped before falling down with a spinning buzzsaw attack that cut down two more Angel Stars.

One of the Angel Stars began to glow green, and Nick, after seeing a green circle of light underneath him, decided to beat it and attack the Angel Star in question just as the green circle exploded into an upwards tornado.

A few seconds later, and all the Angel Stars were destroyed, allowing Nick to rest Absolute Sword on his shoulder and hope he hadn't freaked Kana out too much.

"Am I all clear now?" Kana asked, peeking out from behind a pillar.

"Yeah, they're all gone," Nick responded. "Sorry if I scared you."

"Hey, I've seen weirder," Kana admitted. "Like that one time Pets kept messing with the TV settings. What even _was_ that abomination?!"

Kana brushed her shirt off before extending her hand. "By the way, my name's Kana Koumoto."

"Nick Kelly," Nick answered, shaking Kana's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to be met," Kana giggled. "Say, you hungry?"

"I could go for a bite," Nick stated.

Kana turned around to head back into the restaurant, only to seemingly freeze completely in mid-step.

In fact, everything around with the exception of Nick seemed to have frozen in time. Nick took a step closer and reached out to touch Kana's forehead, see if that would get her going again...

...only to be blasted far away by an invisible force.

* * *

When Nick was able to regain his bearings, he found himself back in the Blue Sky Kingdom, just outside the Restoration Committee HQ. Maylin and Haruka had their keyblades drawn and were fending off a pair of Nightwalkers while Cure Fortune was staring down a Pagemaster.

"What just happened?" Nick wondered, quickly re-summoning Absolute Sword.

"These freakin' Heartless jumped us and damaged the book!" Maylin exclaimed.

"They took a bunch of the pages and chickened out," Haruka continued.

"No wonder everything froze there," Nick stated. "Well, let's take these guys out of the picture so the book doesn't get any more damaged."

"Oh, I'm all over it," Maylin laughed. _"Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDAGA!"_

Several bolts of lightning rained down to obliterate the Nightwalkers, leaving Cure Fortune to prepare herself as the Pagemaster threw a bunch of its razor-sharp pages towards her.

Cure Fortune leaped into the air, starlight gathering in her hands.

" _Fortune Starfall!"_ Cure Fortune proclaimed, landing on the ground and slamming her palm into the concrete. This motion unleashed a shockwave of purple stars that eliminated the Pagemaster and its wayward pages.

"And that's that," Cure Fortune stated. "You should probably go back in and see if everyone in there is okay, Nick."

"That was the plan for sure," Nick replied as Cure Fortune picked up the damaged book and held it open. Only the first chapter of the book was seemingly still intact.

Green light shined outwards from the pages and created a small vortex that eventually pulled Nick into it.

* * *

When Nick found himself back in the city, night had fallen, but everything seemed normal.

Despite this, Nick kept his guard up, knowing that if the Heartless could attack in here, then trouble could still show up at any moment.

In fact, just as Nick was thinking about it, something fell from the sky and crashed down through the roof of the nearby community center.

When he saw emerald electricity crackling around the tip of the "pin" that had fallen and travel towards the ground, Nick made that his incentive to summon Absolute Sword and sprint towards the chaos.

When he reached what was left of the community center, the first thing Nick noticed was a gigantic Heartless monster, with a comically oversized mouth being most of its body, with a small action figure-like head and a mass of metal pipes and tentacles holding it aloft.

And it had its mouth open wide as it rushed forward, attempting to take a bite out of a fleeing Kana.

Nick quickly decided he wasn't having any of that, raising his free hand and casting a wide-range Stopga spell that completely froze the Metal Mouth where it was.

While Kana and her friends watched in a mix of shock and awe, Nick rushed forward so fast it appeared he was gliding over the floor and unleashed a storm of lightning-fast slashes on the Metal Mouth's head.

The entire area was silent for a few seconds, just waiting, until the Stopga spell wore off and the damage was inflicted, sending the Metal Mouth flying backwards into what remained of a nearby wall.

"No friend-chomping while I'm around, freak boy," Nick taunted even as the Metal Mouth picked itself up and roared at him. "Oh, shut up."

With that, Nick charged the Metal Mouth, juking to the side to avoid a bite before landing a resounding slash across its side.

"Hey, isn't that the boy you were telling us about?" Hijiri wondered.

"Yeah, the kid with the giant key who saved you from angels?" Mossan quipped.

"I might not have believed it if it wasn't coming from you, Kana-bun," Pets giggled.

"H-hey, what does _that_ mean?!" Kana shot back.

Nick leaped over a low tentacle sweep before rushing in to stab at the Metal Mouth's face, only for it to open its mouth and clamp its teeth down over Nick's keyblade.

To the girls' surprise, however, Nick simply smiled.

"Wrong move, metal breath," Nick taunted, switching his keyblade to Oblivion and summoning Oathkeeper into his free hand before leaping up to stab Oathkeeper into one of the Metal Mouth's eyes, causing it to jerk back in agony and release his other hand.

Nick took a step back before charging back into the fray and laying into the Metal Mouth with both keyblades, attacking with a left slash with Oathkeeper, then a right slash with Oblivion, followed by a spinning attack with both keyblades. Nick continued his attack with an upward slash with Oathkeeper, a downward spike with Oblivion, and finishing the combo with a double forward thrust, digging into the Metal Mouth like a drill.

The Metal Mouth began to march forward, only for Nick to leap into the air and pressed the attack with two quick slashes to either side followed by a somersaulting attack with both keyblades, keeping the Metal Mouth away from him.

"Look at him _go_!" Kana exclaimed.

Nick ducked under another bite attack, only to realize too late that the Metal Mouth had taken advantage of that to once again go after Kana.

"Get back here!" Nick growled, turning around to chase after the Metal Mouth.

Only this time, a girl with spiky pink hair and yellow eyes burst through one of the still-intact windows and literally kicked Kana away from the Metal Mouth, sending her crashing into a wall.

"Oh, it's pink hair," Hijiri quipped.

"My bad!" Haruko proclaimed. "Is she dead?"

Haruko looked up at the Metal Mouth even as it swung its tentacles at her, forcing her to leap around the debris until bouncing off the wall to hip check the Metal Mouth in the face, bending its upper jaw back.

"So... _hard_!" Haruko shouted as she continued to do battle with the Metal Mouth while Pets attempted to awaken a dazed Kana.

"Mind if I _cut_ in?" Nick teased, swinging both of his keyblades low to sweep out the Metal Mouth's tentacle legs so Haruko could strike its face with an overhead drop kick.

Suddenly, a pulse of energy caught Haruko's attention, and she looked over to Kana, who was clutching her head as if in pain.

"Ow... it hurts... what _is_ this?!" Kana gasped as something sprouted from her head, only to turn into a glowing pink flower.

"Damn you!" Haruko exclaimed as she ripped out one of the Metal Mouth's figure head eyes, only to casually toss it aside. "Ew, gross."

The Metal Mouth seemed to react to this, twitching its head before something broke through its head and shot into the sky.

Soon enough, the Metal Mouth began to expand itself, growing swiftly in size until it demolished what remained of the community center.

Now, the Metal Mouth was completely different, having become a large dragon-like head with at least eight tentacles sprouting from its head, being held up by comically-oversized robotic legs.

"Whoa, this is right out of a kaiju movie," Mossan stated.

"But this is real... isn't it?" Hijiri gasped.

Pets decided to just take a few pictures of the Metal Mouth until Haruko leaped down to in front of them, Nick following closely behind.

"Definitely didn't expect that," Haruko admitted. "I figured it'd get bigger, but not _that_ much bigger."

"Oh, trust me, I've seen my fair share of kaiju," Nick quipped.

"Hey, wait, aren't you that girl who showed up at the soba shop yesterday?" Kana gasped when she realized she'd seen her before.

"Yep. Haruhara Haruko's the name," Haruko answered. "Space Investigator! Member of the Brotherhood of Galactic Police!"

Everyone just looked at Haruko like she was nuts.

"Wait, space _what_?" Hijiri asked.

"Dunno," Mossan admitted.

"Heh, she said 'space' twice," Pets laughed.

"All right, now back to what's actually happening," Haruko quipped. "Here's the skinny: if we're gonna beat that thing up there, I need _that_ thingy."

Haruko pointed to the flower sprouting from Kana's head.

"Wait, what?" Kana gasped.

"Pay no attention to little ol' me, this won't hurt a bit!" Haruko cackled. Naturally, she reached out to grab hold of the flower and start pulling it out, causing everybody else to start fretting.

Eventually, Haruko yanked the flower completely out of Kana's head, where it transformed into a guitar, of all things.

"Holy crap, this is... a 1967-model Mustang!" Haruka gasped before revving it up. "MAMA LIKE!"

The Metal Mouth turned its attention back to Haruko, growling threateningly.

"Hey, key kid," Haruko stated. "You up for another round?"

"As many rounds as it takes," Nick quipped, brandishing both Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

 **("Star Overhead" by The Pillows plays)**

With that, Nick and Haruko charged into the fray even as the Metal Mouth began to swing its many tentacles.

Haruko parried most of the tentacles with her Mustang, allowing Nick to get in close and slash at the Metal Mouth's legs, causing it to stumble slightly.

"Yeah, rock it!" Haruko shouted, leaping off a tentacle before coming down with a flying slash that severed it cleanly. Nick leapfrogged off of Haruko's shoulders so he could get enough height to fire a Thunder spell directly into the Metal Mouth's face.

Haruko squeaked slightly as one of the Metal Mouth's tentacles brushed against her, though she quickly batted it aside. "Damn it, don't you _dare_ get cocky just because you're so much bigger now!" Haruko shouted. "We're gonna cut you down to size!"

Haruko leaped off of another tentacle strike to propel herself towards the Metal Mouth's head.

"HEADS UP!" Haruko exclaimed, slamming her Mustang into the Metal Mouth's head so hard that its legs and tentacles broke off from it.

"Hey, key boy, wanna deliver the finishing blow?" Haruko offered.

"You know it," Nick quipped as Haruko swung her Mustang hard enough to send Nick flying downwards. Just before hitting the ground, Nick thrust both Oathkeeper and Oblivion into the Metal Mouth's head, causing the beast to explode rather violently.

Kana could only stare at a lone bottle, all that remained of the bottle rocket they'd worked so hard to build.

"It's shattered, just like your fragile teenage dreams," Haruko quipped, casually picking up the bottle and tossing it back to Kana. "Look at it this way. All you gotta do is rebuild it."

Kana looked up at Haruko, realizing that she was right. "Yeah," Kana replied.

Almost the instant Nick landed, everything around him froze in time again. "Okay, what gives? Did the Heartless attack the book again?!" Nick groaned.

"The world froze, because the rest of the story's missing," Haruko quipped.

"Oh, yeah, the pages those dumb Heartless stole..." Nick realized. "And I assume this world won't 'play' again until I come back with another page?"

"Pretty much," Haruko stated. "When a page comes back, so will the world for however long that chapter lasts."

"And... what are _you_ gonna do, Haruko?" Nick asked. "Being the only one besides me that can do anything here while the story's on hold?"

"Heh, whatever the heck I want," Haruko cackled before setting off for parts unknown, leaving Nick all on his own.

"What a strange girl," Nick quipped. "But as long as she's on my side, I guess I'm not gonna complain."

With his job done for now, Nick raised his keyblade to transport him out of the storybook.

* * *

"All done, fearless leader?" Maylin asked once Nick had leaped out of the book again.

"For now, anyway," Nick replied. "Haruko told me pretty much exactly what I suspected, that we're gonna have to find the torn pages that the Heartless stole to complete the storybook and set things right over there."

"Looks like a hero's work is never done, huh?" Cure Fortune laughed. "I assume you guys will be back soon?"

"The instant we find a page," Nick stated. "I don't wanna keep Kana-bun and her friends worrying."

"'Kana-bun'?" Haruka giggled.

"It's a nickname one of her friends gave her," Nick responded.

As Nick began to explain what had occurred inside the storybook, he'd just missed Maylin glancing wistfully at him.

* * *

Red gazed out at the vistas that spread before him. All of this would have been his to control, had it not been for those pesky Pretty Cures and the keyblade wielders.

However, he was ready for them this time. He still had no clue how he'd been brought back (he believed his new self-proclaimed "lieutenant" had something to do with that), but he wouldn't waste this second chance.

"And? What of the other ones?" Red asked.

"Hell if I know," Black Fang answered, pacing around the raised platform in the center of the room. "They must have had other things to take care of."

"'Things', you say?" Red growled, turning to face Black Fang. "You mean those dullards have more important affairs to tend to than my resurrection?!"

"Well, to be honest, there's this strange group called 'Organization XIII' that keeps getting in our way..." Black Fang started.

"Let those fools play their dumb game, then," Red proclaimed. "They are of no consequence to us."

"On top of all that, those keyblade-swinging brats that defeated you are still mucking about the worlds," Black Fang continued. "They've been a royal pain, as well."

Red smirked evilly. "Have they, now? Very well, then, Black Fang. Perhaps you should inform me of what has happened during my absence."

* * *

"Is there anything you can do, Your Majesty?" Cornelia asked.

"I still do not understand what has cut us off from the rest of the universe," Himerish answered. Like the Guardians, he, too, was trying to find the source of whatever dark spell or curse was isolating Candracar from the rest of the multiverse.

"This is annoying me now," Irma groaned. "Why does trouble keep popping up at every turn?!"

"We're the Guardians of the Veil," Hay Lin replied. "Trouble honestly attracts to us like the world's biggest magnet."

"That definitely sounds like something Nick would say," Taranee laughed.

Before Will could offer her two cents on the matter, a surge of dark energy suddenly radiated throughout the entirety of the Congregation Hall, driving the Guardians to their knees. As this happened, evil green thorns began to grow like wildfire across the hall, completely shrouding the light that usually shined from above.

"What the heck's happening?!" Irma shouted.

"And what was with that surge of darkness?" Will wondered. "Could it be the same as whatever's keeping us isolated?"

Suddenly, pools of darkness began to open up on the floor, spawning Heartless from them, mostly Neoshadows and Soldiers.

"Ack! How'd _they_ get in?! Isn't the Veil supposed to be keeping them _out_?!" Irma exclaimed.

One of the Neoshadows rose into the air, and began spinning through the air while aiming straight for the surprised Hay Lin. Cornelia wasn't having any of that, however, dashing over to plant herself firmly in front of Hay Lin. As the Neoshadow continued on its spiral, Cornelia summoned Earthshaker to her hands, performing a wide vertical slash that destroyed the Neoshadow easily.

"Sorry, dark boys, but you'll have to do better than that," Cornelia giggled.

Not waiting for the Heartless to come to her, Cornelia began practically dancing around the Congregation Hall, swinging Earthshaker left and right to take out any Heartless that dared get close to her, wiping them out one by one with grace and fluidity.

Once the swarm was cleared away, Himerish rose to his full height and summoned his own keyblade, the Master Keeper.

"We must call the wielders of the keyblade to Candracar quickly," Himerish proclaimed. "We may need their help to deal with whatever is happening."

Himerish swung the Master Keeper towards the thorn-covered skylight, chains of golden light exploding from the keyblade's teeth and flying through the holes between the thorns.

* * *

"Well, guess it's time to head out on another trip," Haruka quipped, taking the controls of the Gummi Ship.

"Here's hoping we don't get sidetracked again," Maylin stated, only for the ship's radar system to start beeping.

"I think you jinxed it, Maylin," Nick quipped as Haruka checked the readings.

"Did we find a new world?" Maylin asked.

"Hold on just one minute," Haruka proclaimed. "That's Candracar! I thought we'd lost it when it disappeared earlier!"

"Hey, yeah, why is it back all of a sudden?" Maylin quipped.

"Um, maybe because of _that_?!" Nick exclaimed, pointing out towards where Candracar rested in the Lanes Between. The temple was surrounded by a vortex of jet-black darkness that appeared to be slowly closing in on the actual temple.

"W-what the _hell_?!" Maylin exclaimed. "What's happening there?!"

"We're not going to find out by just sitting here," Haruka proclaimed, turning the Gummi Ship around and making it fly straight for Candracar. "Let's go check things out."

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New Harmonization acquired!_

 **Spreading Wings  
** _Drive Gauge Points Needed:_ **2  
** _Purpose:_ Sprout wings to take on airborne threats and make overworld navigation much easier.

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Absolute Sword  
** _Strength:_ 9  
 _Magic:_ 5  
 _Ability:_ Wind Boost  
 _Description:_ A keyblade representing the swordswoman who refuses to be defeated by fate. A strong weapon that boosts the effectiveness of Aero-based spells and attacks by 20%.  
EXTRA NOTE: Big thanks again to Lonnie Lonnster/AlexisRhodes74 for designing this keyblade!

* * *

On the next episode...

Nick: Well, it looks like _big trouble's_ brewing next episode!

Maylin: That's an understatement, Nick! Why is the darkness threatening Candracar?!

Haruka: I guess it's up to us to figure things out.

Maylin: Gah, there's Heartless everywhere, which _shouldn't be happening_ because of the Veil! Man, what else could go wrong?!

Nick: How about the return of one of our old enemies?

Maylin: Oh, crap, not this nutball again!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "The Waves of Time"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	5. The Waves of Time

"You were right on the money, girls," Nick quipped. "Something is _definitely_ ten kinds of wrong here."

"You're telling me," Maylin answered, gazing around at the halls of the sacred temple, most of which were covered in thick, dark-green thorns that only served to smother any light that could possibly enter. "What exactly is going on here?"

Haruka spun around to deflect the attack of another Neoshadow before vertically slashing Rumbling Rose to slice it in half. "And for that matter, why are there _Heartless_ in Candracar? Did something happen to the Veil?"

"Haruka, last time the Heartless got in, we didn't have these freakin' thorns everywhere," Maylin countered. "So I've got a bad feeling it's even _worse_ than just the Veil being compromised."

"If that's true, we need to find our way to the Congregation Hall _on the double_ ," Nick proclaimed.

The three keyblade wielders continued the make their way through the temple, occasionally stopping to cut down a tangle of thorns that kept them from progressing.

"Man, this place looks so much different with all these thorns everywhere," Haruka quipped. "I really hope everyone's okay..."

After slashing through another wall of thorns, Nick had to quickly jump back to avoid an attack from a large, spherical Heartless with spikes jutting out from its armor.

"Whoa, cavalry's here!" Nick exclaimed.

"Ooh, those things are Morning Stars, and they're _annoying_ ," Haruka explained to Nick. "When they start spinning, you can't really do anything to them, but once they stop, they're wide open."

As Haruka explained the new arrival, several more Morning Stars appeared around them, alongside a platoon of Soldiers and Neoshadows.

"Oh, this could be trouble," Maylin groaned, readying Counterpoint regardless.

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae  
** _Cherami Leigh Kuhn_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** Something is very wrong in Candracar. Evil thorns have run rampant throughout the holy land, Heartless swarm its halls, and everything within seems to be falling apart. Nick, Maylin, and Haruka will have to travel to a very special place in order to find the cause of this madness and fix it before Candracar is consumed by the darkness. But who is behind everything? Could it possibly be the fault of an old enemy, returned from his destruction?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **EDIT 2/20/19:** Few fixes, including adding a summon battle scene with Emi.

* * *

Episode 5: The Waves of Time

"Back off, freak show!" Maylin exclaimed, blasting a Morning Star back with a point-blank Thunder spell, but it just came spinning back towards her regardless.

Nick moved in to deflect the spin attack, causing the Morning Star to slowly halt its spinning, allowing Nick to land three solid hits that knocked it away. However, the Morning Star simply began spinning back towards him.

"You know what, screw this," Nick growled, brandishing Absolute Sword and rushing to meet the Morning Star head on.

Time seemed to slow for Nick as the tip of his keyblade sparkled, indicating a new ability. Looking back at his opponent, Nick stopped in his tracks, taking a quick hop backwards before leaping forward to thrust Absolute Sword straight for the incoming Morning Star. Trails of wind emanated from the keyblade's teeth as it slammed into the charging Morning Star, the new attack actually piercing through its guard state and destroying it swiftly.

"Oh, _sweet_!" Maylin exclaimed. "What's that one called?"

"Stride Break," Nick replied after a few seconds of thought. "Pretty apt, honestly."

Haruka leaped over Maylin to intercept a Neoshadow that was coming their way, splitting it in half with a flying strike.

Maylin spun around to blast another Morning Star with a Blizzaga, but they just kept spawning in.

"ARGH, is this _ever_ going to end?!" Maylin shouted, readying a new super spell coin as the horde of Heatless continued to close in.

At that moment, a spiral of ice crystals began to surround the Heartless swarm, closing in on them with each second that passed.

" _Arctic Revolution!"_ a voice called out. At these words, the ice crystals converged at one spot in the center of the swarm, subsequently exploding outwards in three icy shockwaves that decimated the Heartless.

Before Nick could ask who had saved their bacon, the one in question revealed themselves by leaping out from the shadow of a nearby pillar; it was Elyon herself.

"Thanks for the save, Your Highness!" Maylin exclaimed.

"No problem," Elyon giggled. "Always happy to help out."

Nick easily noticed that Elyon was carrying a different keyblade than she was the last time they'd seen her. This new keyblade appeared to be made of ice, with a jagged handle guard sporting a sky-blue and azure color scheme with four spikes surrounding it. The blade itself was a long sheet of jagged ice, with spikes growing in the center and a mostly faint snowflake appearing at one end. The teeth were an ornate, golden, and blue hollow snowflake, with the center being a diamond star. As Nick studied the weapon, the words _Diamond Dust_ came to mind.

"Now, Your Highness, I hope you don't mind me cutting to the chase here, but _what exactly_ are _Heartless_ doing in Candracar?!" Nick exclaimed.

"Honestly, I don't know," Elyon admitted. "That's what I came here to find out. These strange thorns have even grown over my castle."

"Wait, the thorns are in Metamoor, too?!" Maylin shouted. "Okay, we need to double-time it to the Congregation Hall and see if the Oracle knows anything about this! If these thorns keep popping up everywhere, they could be in Heatherfield for all we know!"

It was only a matter of time before the foursome reached the Congregation Hall, its entryway covered by a thick tangle of thorns.

"Oh, I don't think so," Maylin proclaimed. _"Force, know my plight! Release the light! FIRAGA!"_

A large ball of flames shot from the tip of Counterpoint and traveled to right in front of the thorns, where the spell exploded into a sphere of destruction that disintegrated the thorns and allowed for safe passage into the Congregation Hall.

"What's up, peeps and cronies? We're back!" Maylin proclaimed, catching everyone's attention.

"We saw the darkness surrounding Candracar and we got here as soon as we could," Haruka stated. "Your Majesty, what's going on here? It's been absolute chaos here _and_ in Metamoor, apparently!"

"The dark thorns have even spread to Metamoor?" Himerish gasped.

"I knew I had no choice but to book it if I was gonna escape with my life," Elyon admitted.

"Do you have any idea who or what could be causing this, Your Majesty?" Nick asked, switching his keyblade to Ethereal Light.

"Alas, I know nothing of this plot," Himerish admitted. "Whatever darkness is creating these thorns is interfering with my future vision. It must be very serious to be affecting me so, and to know that the thorns are spreading to other worlds as well."

"Is everything else here in working order?" Cornelia asked. "Nothing else that the perp could be messing with to affect this world?"

After a few seconds of thought, Himerish's eyes snapped open in reflexive fear. "The Aurameres!"

"Of _course_!" Haruka responded. "Whoever's doing this must have tampered with the Aurameres in some way!"

"The question is, _who_ could have the power to do something like that?" Irma wondered.

" _That, my dear, would be me."_

A vortex of darkness converged into the center of the Congregation Hall, eventually forming into the figure of Red, the god Blue's evil twin brother and the leader of the villain's council that had plotted to resurrect Izanami-no-Mikoto.

"Well, well, what do have we here?" Red cackled. "If it isn't the wretched keyblade holders and their pitiful lackeys! We can just call this a great reunion, can't we?"

"W-wait a minute, how the hell are you back?!" Maylin shouted, summoning Counterpoint. "Didn't we stomp all over you?!"

"Yes, sadly, my end came by your hands," Red stated. "But thanks to the efforts of my new lieutenant, Black Fang, I have been reborn."

"Okay, buddy, you're about to learn a _real_ painful lesson about what it means to mess with our worlds!" Irma challenged.

"All in good time, Guardian," Red taunted. "I promise you will definitely be able to partake of my much-awaited vengeance, but you must have patience."

Elyon stepped up, raising Diamond Dust confidently. "What's your plan, you monster? What exactly are you up to?"

"Ah, Queen Elyon. Radiant as always," Red laughed, bowing slightly. "I guess you could say I'm out here on a property venture. To be precise, I want this castle as my own. However, I believe it's a bit too... shall we say, _bright_ for my plans. I'll just have to fill this entire place with my own personal touch of darkness."

"You'd better ice those plans of yours right this second if you value your head still being attached!" Maylin proclaimed.

"Ooh, how frightening," Red laughed. "Very well, I will stop... just as soon as this castle and everything in it belongs to me!"

Red raised his hands and created a vortex of dark energy around him. Eventually, the darkness seemed to consume the entire Congregation Hall.

When Nick could see again, he and Red were the only ones in the immediate area, which was apparently a lone upraised platform in a dark purple abyss.

"All right, Red, if you wanna fight, let's fight," Nick proclaimed, raising Ethereal Light. "Let's see if you picked up any new tricks since the last time."

"It will be my pleasure, brat!" Red shouted, launching himself straight towards Nick and materializing two energy swords, one in each hand.

Nick quickly brought Ethereal Light up to block the double slash from Red, immediately countering with a spinning flourish of his keyblade. Red didn't seem discouraged at all, instantly charging back with a flying stab attack.

Nick leaped over Red, cutting downward to strike at Red's head as he jumped. Once he landed, Nick closed in and slashed at Red's vulnerable flank with three strikes before finishing off with a Stride Break, intending to knock Red off into the abyss, only for Red to float away from the edge of the platform.

"Figures," Nick quipped, firing off a Thunder spell to bring Red down from his flight pattern. However, Red recovered quickly, calling down lightning bolts and tossing them at Nick, forcing him to stay on the defensive.

After three such bolts, Nick noticed that Red had floated slightly back, as if needing to recover. Nick swiftly pressed this advantage, slicing through the air with a Hurricane Period and knocking Red around.

"So help me, boy, you'll soon wish you'd never messed with me!" Red proclaimed, brandishing his energy swords and rushing in, attacking swiftly and mercilessly. Nick swung Ethereal Light in kind, parrying and countering every attack he could until he could find a gap in Red's defenses.

After a few minutes of this strange duel, Nick was able to slide behind Red after ducking a diagonal slash, leap into the air and slash Red across the back, stumbling him and causing him to drop his energy swords. Nick didn't waste a single second in going on the offensive, lashing out at Red's prone form with an Ars Arcanum before blasting him in the face with a point-blank Thunder spell.

Surprisingly, this didn't seem to be all that Red could take, as he picked himself back up and surrounded himself with a strange shield made of hundreds of small, ruby-red energy orbs.

"Well, it's nice to know you're more resilient than last time," Nick teased. "You didn't even last two minutes before you went all dragon on us."

"Well, I've had time to beef myself up since I came back to life," Red admitted. "Whatever Black Fang did to revive me is greatly appreciated. And that's not _all_ he gave me!"

Red flicked his right hand forward, and some of the orbs that comprised his shield separated and began firing off at Nick, who began swinging Ethereal Light, baseball bat style, to knock the orbs away before they could touch him.

During a break in the attack, Nick raised Ethereal Light and cast Thundaga, causing bolts of lightning to rain down on Red's shield, destroying some of the orbs in the process. Realizing that more orbs were coming at him quickly, Nick cast Reflect and let the orbs bounce harmlessly off of his magic shield.

After casting Thundaga again, Nick saw enough of a gap in the shield to press his attack and charged forward, batting away more orbs as he got closer before unleashing a Ripple Drive that destroyed the rest of the shield and sent Red reeling.

Not waiting around for Red to summon another shield, Nick attacked with Sonic Blade, landing six slashes before finishing with an overhead strike that caused Red to collapse to the ground and relinquish his hold on this pocket dimension, returning the two of them to the Congregation Hall.

"Not bad, boy," Red proclaimed. "You have definitely grown more skilled since our last battle."

"Well, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Nick shot back. "Do you _honestly_ think I've been just sitting on my laurels and submitting to that damned biology class?"

"Well, pretty soon, it won't matter what you can do," Red cackled. "Once my plan is complete, nothing will stop me from continuing my plans to bring back the divine ruler and assert my dominance over this pathetic multiverse!"

Everyone in the room glanced at Red like he had sprouted an extra head.

"Um, buddy, I don't know if your fang guy informed you, but..." Irma laughed. "Your precious divinity is _toast_."

Red took a step back, incredulous at this news. "W-what? What exactly do you mean? Are you saying..."

"Yup," Maylin cackled. "Izanami-no-Mikoto is _no more_. And since one of her vessels has been... shall we say, _terminated_ , there's _no_ chance of her coming back."

Maylin cast a glance at Nick, worried that she might have crossed that dangerous line, but Nick simply smiled at her, silently saying it was all right. Maylin hoped Nick didn't notice how that simple smile made her heart flutter.

 _Not the time, Maylin, not the time..._ the young mage mentally reprimanded herself. There would be time for that when the multiverse _wasn't_ in grave danger.

"H-How did you destroy the divine ruler?!" Red shouted. "I was under the assumption that once she was re-united, no one could stand against her might!"

"Well, you thought wrong," Nick proclaimed. "And here's the icing on the cake. Marie was fighting back, so that divine bitch couldn't access her full strength."

"Wait, the girl?" Red gasped. " _That_ selfish little..."

"This is the _only_ warning you're getting, Red," Maylin growled, cutting Red's tirade off before it could begin. "You're stepping in something you shouldn't be. _Really_ bad things have happened to people who badmouthed Nick's family, and you _definitely_ don't want to stick around to see the results."

"It seems I have once again underestimated you little brats," Red stated. "Oh, well. Make no mistake, this is only a minor setback. I _will_ conquer this and _every_ world, even if I must do it without the divine ruler. And that pathetic Organization XIII won't stop me!"

Having said everything he needed to, Red disappeared in a flash of dark red light, leaving the Guardians to think of what to do.

"Okay, now that weird-o's gone, how about we get back to the task at hand?" Will quipped. "We should probably go check on the Aurameres before something even _worse_ happens."

"Yes, we must act with haste," Himerish proclaimed. "If the Aurameres are being affected by whatever is occurring, the consequences could be disastrous."

"Well, lead on, fearless leader," Maylin giggled. "Let's go stomp some more freaks!"

"Gladly," Nick stated as the entire group began their mad rush to the Auramere Chambers.

Cornelia noticed something interesting as they continued on their way. Maylin seemed very enthusiastic about blasting through the groups of Heartless and Nobodies that popped up to impede their progress.

Now, this wasn't anything unusual to Cornelia, as she knew that Maylin's parents and home world were both taken from her by the Heartless, so it was no doubt Maylin achieving revenge by proxy.

The thing that piqued Cornelia's interest in particular was how often Maylin would gush to Nick about her exploits, whether it be how she decapitated a particular Morning Star or that incredible spell she used to flash-fry a whole pack of Dusks and Creepers. _And JEEZ, that was one heck of a spell, too. I've never even seen Taranee do something like that..._

Cornelia had an inkling of an idea, but decided to wait until this incident was resolved to follow up on it. After all, she didn't want to upset Maylin by saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

About halfway to the Auramere Chambers, another pack of Dusks and Assassins spawned in front of the Guardians, obviously intent on halting their progress.

" _Move it_ , wiggle boys!" Irma shouted. "We don't have time for you!"

Nick, however, simply reached for the Angel Charm.

"Oh, you girls are gonna _love_ this," Maylin giggled as she and Haruka vanished.

 **("ZERO!" by Minami Kuribayashi plays)**

Nick raised Kingdom Key to the sky as the Angel Charm floated to just above him, a burst of holy light emanating from the charm and forming into the Divine Hero Emi Yusa.

"More despicable demons," Emi proclaimed, summoning Better Half to her hand. "At least Maou learned from his misdeeds!"

"Let's show 'em the light, then," Nick quipped, raising his keyblade so he and Emi could charge into battle together.

Emi jumped to reach a Dusk that was slithering through the air and bisect it with Better Half, before firing an energy projectile to disorient an approaching Assassin and allow Nick to finish it off.

Three of the Dusks attempted to surround Emi, but she simply took flight thanks to her Celestial Force and fell back down to deliver a powerful overhead strike that destroyed one of the Dusks, before slashing horizontally to cut the other two Dusks in half..

An Assassin began to slash wildly through the air while Nick was distracted fighting off another Dusk, but Emi responded by raising her free hand and projecting a magical barrier behind Nick to protect him. Emi dashed in and parried the next strike, allowing Nick to finish off the Assassin.

Before Nick could thank Emi for the assistance, a pack of Samurais spawned in, their swords all trained on Nick and Emi.

"Um, I think they're in trouble," Hay Lin quipped, ready to assist.

Nick and Emi silently nodded to each other, understand what they were both thinking.

Emi raised Better Half, its blade covered in heavenly fire. Nick switched his keyblade to Absolute Sword and raised it above him, its blade glowing with a blue mist.

" _Manifest now, our true power, so that we may vanquish all evil!"_ Nick and Emi shouted, leaping above the horde of Nobodies and preparing their weapons for the finishing blow.

Emi slashed downwards, unleashing a rain of fire downwards to entrap the Samurais in a circle of fire. Nick slashed downwards with Absolute Sword, ice crystals erupting from his keyblade to freeze the fire circle into an iceberg of sorts.

Finally, Nick and Emi charged their weapons with holy power and fell back to the ground, slicing through the trapped Nobodies with an X-strike and flourishing their weapons proudly as the iceberg exploded in a burst of holy light, taking the Nobodies out alongside it.

Emi glanced at Nick, winking at Nick before bowing to him. "May justice smile upon you," Emi proclaimed before vanishing in a column of divine light to return to the Angel Charm.

"Okay, pardon my interruption, but THAT WAS AWESOME!" Irma shouted.

"They're basically identical to the gems I found last time, where Maylin and Haruka lend me their power so I can summon an ally to help us out," Nick explained. "But we don't really have time to be gushing about how cool Emi is. We'd better beat it to the Aurameres."

After slaughtering their way through more hordes of dark creatures, the Guardians finally made it to the Auramere Chambers, only to find exactly what they had all feared. The thorns were constricting this room as well, and the Aurameres themselves were flickering like burning-out light bulbs, on the precipice of fading from existence.

"Okay, I'm going to assume that this is _very_ bad," Hay Lin proclaimed.

"Why does it look like the Aurameres are _fading out of existence?!_ " Maylin shouted. "That shouldn't be happening!"

"Is there anything we can do, Your Majesty?" Nick asked, thinking hard about what could be done.

Himerish contemplated the ramifications for a few seconds, then stood to his full height and summoned Master Keeper to his hands.

"My visions of the future are still being suppressed by whatever malevolence is causing this," Himerish answered. "But I believe I have an idea as to what is going on now."

Himerish slowly swung Master Keeper around, drawing a strange pattern of light with its glowing teeth. Once the pattern was complete, Himerish slashed Master Keeper through it, golden energy chains bursting from the severed pattern and converging on a spot at the very center of the room. After a bright flash, it was revealed that the chains of light had created a large silver door.

"Hey, what _is_ that?" Irma wondered.

"That, my Guardians, is the gateway to a very special world," Himerish answered. "Though the darkness is clouding my vision, I am absolutely certain that someone in this world is responsible for what is happening right now."

"Well, then what are we waitin' for, peeps?" Maylin exclaimed. "Let's go knock some heads!"

"One moment," Himerish interjected. "There is another door, identical to this one, somewhere within that world. I am certain our enemies are utilizing that door. And as long as it remains opened, all of our worlds are in terrible danger. Nick, you must find that door and lock it with the keyblade."

"That easy?" Nick quipped. "Piece of cake."

"One more thing," Himerish continued. "You are heading into a _very_ special world. While you are there, the nature of the world may tempt you to do something dark. You must resist that temptation however necessary."

"What does that mean?" Haruka wondered.

"You will know, soon enough," Himerish replied. "I have faith in all of you."

Deciding that they had to get moving before anything else happened to Candracar, Nick walked up to the door with Maylin and Haruka following closely behind him.

After making sure all of his personal effects were ready, Nick reached out and pulled the door open, causing a blinding rainbow of colors to temporarily obscure his vision.

* * *

When Nick trusted himself enough to open his eyes again, he glanced around at the undeniably bizarre place the three of them had wound up in. At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than a multi-colored sky with cloud formations made of refracting crystals and no visible 'ground' to stand on, making it appear that they were all floating.

Maylin and Haruka seemed to be just as confused as he was right now, gazing at the strange vistas that surrounded them.

"Not much of a world, honestly, if this is all there is," Maylin quipped. "Where the heck do we even start looking?!"

"We have to do _something_ ," Haruka replied. "If this is where the Oracle said the trouble was coming from, we really don't have time to be dawdling."

So, with no real directive to act on, the trio began exploring this strange, trippy area in hopes of finding something to go on.

Despite the lack of any apparent ground to traverse, the trio made their way to a large open area, where a gigantic circular cloud platform could be seen.

"That's odd, huh?" Maylin stated.

"Maybe something's happening here," Haruka replied. "Like they're building something or whatever."

"Yeah, but what?" Nick wondered, walking to the center of the cloud where a small blue vortex could be seen. Reaching out to touch the vortex, Nick was surprised to see it suddenly open and start showing something, almost like they were watching a movie.

Within the vortex, Nick could see the same cloud platform they were standing on, only this version was surrounded by five large spheres of light that eventually split off in different directions when a cloud of darkness closed in on it.

"Um..." was all Maylin could really say. " _Explanations,_ maybe?!"

Haruka quickly turned around and saw, back at the crossroads they'd followed to get here, that there were now five doors there, each positioned in a hexagonal pattern. None of them resembled the door they had entered this strange vista in, nor did it resemble the identical door they were searching for, but they did have one peculiarity: each one of them had an imprint of one of the five elemental symbols on them.

Maylin walked up to the first door with the Quintessence symbol and tapped it with Counterpoint. To her surprise, the door opened, leading to a bright field of crystal flowers and a ruby-red sky, with bluish-white electricity crackling through the sky at intervals.

"Ooooooookay..." Maylin sighed. "To be honest with the both of you, I've seen some pretty trippy things on our adventures, but... this whole freakin' _world_ is trippy as _hell_!"

"Hopefully we'll get some answers soon," Haruka admitted. "Because I'm pretty confused, too."

"I think we might be getting one of them soon," Nick stated. "Look."

Floating there at the very edge of the field was a dark orb crackling with purple lightning. From what they could see, a woman appeared to be trapped within the orb.

"Okay, finally something to do," Maylin proclaimed. "Let's get her out of there!"

Nick was the first to attack, spinning through the air with a Hurricane Period and cracking the orb. Maylin continued this attack by blasting the orb with a Watera spell, a spread of water bullets in an X pattern, and Haruka got up close and finished with Quake, a technique where she slammed Rumbling Rose into the ground and created an explosion of rock and granite all around her.

The dark orb shattered and released its captive, a fully-grown woman with two pairs of nymph wings and flowing golden hair.

When she opened her eyes, however, Nick realized that something was very wrong about all of this.

The nymph's eyes were a sharp yellow, usually marking either dark possession or a victim of the Heartless.

And Nick wasn't sure which one he disliked more.

As if proving the validity of his thoughts, the nymph raised her hand and blasted all three keyblade wielders back with a burst of Quintessence lightning bolts.

"Okay, that wasn't nice, lady!" Maylin growled, picking herself up quickly and firing a Firaga spell into the nymph's face, forcing her to back away.

Haruka opted to hang back and attack from afar with Strike Raid, not wanting to get anywhere close to the nymph if she was who Haruka thought she was.

After deflecting a few more Quintessence blasts with quick flares of Reflect, Nick decided he'd had enough and moved in to get physical, slashing at the nymph's prone form a few times before jumping back to avoid taking a lightning bolt to the face.

Maylin nodded to Nick, and together, they double-cast Thundaga, bombarding the nymph with hundreds of thunderbolts from above and leaving her in a stunned state, allowing Nick to dash over and deliver the finishing blow.

The nymph collapsed to the ground, her eyes fading to their normal shade of light blue and her hair shifting back to a dark blue.

"Are you okay?" Maylin asked. "Sorry we had to wail on you..."

"W-what could humans be doing here?" the nymph asked, slightly bewildered. "I did not think it was time already..."

"Um..." Maylin quipped.

"Excuse me," Haruka asked, hoping to confirm her suspicions. "Is your name Xin Jing, by any chance?"

Xin Jing gasped, and Haruka grinned, her hunch right on the money. "How exactly do you know of me?"

"It's quite a long story, to be fair, and we really don't have that much time to tell it," Haruka giggled.

Haruka glanced around at the trippy scene around them all. "And, quite honestly, I don't know if you'd believe me."

Xin Jing looked like she was about to respond when her body was suddenly surrounded by a watery substance, then expanded into a bubble shape until it popped and left nothing behind.

Haruka took a step back, regarding the spot where Xin Jing had just been, and not seeming as freaked out as Maylin currently was.

"Um, Haruka, did you say that girl was Xin Jing? As in, _one of the five nymphs who created Candracar?!_ " Maylin shouted. "Because if we just popped her like a balloon, we might be in some REAL deep..."

"That wasn't the _real_ Xin Jing," Haruka responded. "It was just an Altermere."

"W-wait, wait, hold on, you can't possibly mean..." Maylin gasped. "I thought Altermeres could only be created by fusing fragments of the five powers! And with the Aurameres fading away, I didn't think it was possible!"

"True, but the Oracle also told me that an Altermere can be created by infusing an Astral Drop with the power of Quintessence, essentially giving it life," Haruka explained.

"So... okay, so if Xin Jing and the _other_ nymphs are here, does that mean... that we're in the _freakin' past?!_ " Maylin exclaimed.

"Pretty much," Haruka answered. "We must have jumped back to the beginning of the universe, because that's when the nymphs created Candracar. And now Red's plan makes sense. He's trying to get rid of us by basically cutting out the middleman and just wiping Candracar out of existence so none of this ever happened."

"Wow, this is making my head hurt," Nick groaned. "Time travel's a cornucopia of disturbing concepts."

"So, if there's _one_ Altermere nymph, Red and his fang must have made Altermeres of the others, right?" Maylin quipped. "But... how is he doing it?"

"Black Fang must have captured the nymphs and is draining the real Xin Jing's power to create the Altermeres," Haruka posited. "After all, Xin Jing did eventually become the Heart of Candracar itself."

"And I'm willing to bet the only way we're gonna find the real nymphs in time is if we bust up the Altermeres that are taking their place," Nick realized.

"Bingo," Haruka stated.

"Hey, what's that?" Maylin asked, pointing to another blue vortex that had opened up where the orb of darkness had been.

Nick walked up to touch the vortex, and it opened, showing what appeared to be a great oriental palace in an ancient Chinese-esque city. Four dragons, each a different color, were soaring high above the city, and when they opened their mouths, a deluge of rain began to fall on the city. Everyone seemed pleased, except for one person in the palace.

Before the trio could deduce any more, the vortex closed itself and vanished, leaving them even more confused.

"Okay, what was _that_?" Maylin wondered.

"We should wait until later to worry about that," Haruka answered. "We've still got four more doors to check out."

The trio returned to the central area of the "Sky of Beginnings", as Haruka had decided to call it, and walked up to the Water door, opening it to reveal a vast beach area and an endless ocean.

And there, on a dock leading out to the ocean, was a dark orb containing the next Altermere.

The trio wasted no time in cracking the orb, releasing an Altermere version of Oneide, Nymph of Life.

"All right, here goes nothing!" Maylin exclaimed, summoning Counterpoint.

Altermere Oneide seemed to go for dramatic effect right off the bat, raising her arms and summoning a massive waterspout from the ocean behind them.

"Duck and cover!" Maylin shouted as the three of them all dove away just in time to avoid the waterspout crashing into the ground where they had just stood. Even still, water bullets rained down on them from the point of impact, forcing them to dodge and Reflect whenever they could.

Nick attempted to leap in and strike, only for Altermere Oneide to flick her right hand and create a wave burst that blasted Nick backwards.

Haruka was on the move before Nick was even flying back, busting up the dock around Altermere Oneide with a powerful Quake, but Altermere Oneide wasn't swayed, instead affecting to trap Haruka within a water bubble and aim hundreds of powerful water bullets at her from all sides.

"Haruka, think fast! _Force, know my plight! Release the light! FREEZE!"_ Maylin chanted, casting Blizzara on the bubble and freezing it into a solid dome of ice that Haruka busted out of with a spinning attack. This allowed her the precious seconds she needed to escape before the water bullets all converged on her position, exploding into a liquid shockwave.

"That was too close," Haruka admitted.

"Happy to be of service!" Maylin giggled.

After recovering himself, Nick charged back into the fray, swinging Ethereal Light like a baseball bat and knocking Altermere Oneide into the air. Nick quickly leapt after his target and blasted her point-blank with a super-powerful Thunder spell, with Maylin quickly following up with one of her own.

This finally did the trick, causing Altermere Oneide to explode into droplets of the same liquid substance that fell back into the vast ocean.

"Two down!" Maylin laughed, high-fiving Nick.

"We've got another vortex," Haruka quipped.

"Let's see what this one has to show us," Nick stated, tapping the vortex with his keyblade and watching as it opened and continued the strange tale.

This time, the one man who hadn't been pleased at the dragon's gift of rain, apparently the Jade Emperor who ruled this land, was ranting and raving by his throne.

" _How DARE those pathetic dragons defy me so?!"_ the Jade Emperor growled. _"This is MY land to rule! They are not allowed to do as they please! Well, we shall see how haughty they are when I get through with them. They'll wish they'd never intruded in my kingdom!"_

The Jade Emperor raised his staff and began to chant a powerful spell, his staff glowing a menacing green. But before the trio could see the results of the spell, the scene faded and the vortex closed up.

"Is this related to the nymphs in some way?" Maylin wondered.

"Wish I could tell you," Haruka admitted. "But at least we seem to be on the right track. Let's keep moving."

After returning to the central hub, they decided to just keep going in order and walked up to the Fire door, entering what appeared to be the inside of a volcanic crater, with magma flows and large molten-rock formations all over the place.

"Sounds about right," Maylin teased.

"You've just grown numb to the weirdness scale, haven't you?" Haruka giggled.

"Hey, with all the crap we've seen in our lives, you try and tell me that this isn't weird!" Maylin proclaimed.

"While you both debate about what's weird and what's _not_ weird, I think I see our next target up ahead," Nick quipped.

Sure enough, a dark orb was waiting in the center of this volcano area. Nick cracked it open with a Stride Break, releasing an Altermere of Téa, Nymph of the Sun.

"Let's get crackin', everybody!" Maylin shouted, once again being the rallying cry for the battle to come.

Altermere Téa started by raising her arms and causing geysers of molten magma to surround her.

"Okay, so we're doing this the hard way," Nick groaned as the lava geysers began to spiral around Altermere Téa. Much like Nick had done during the first battle with Red in the Blue Sky Kingdom a year before, he started with Strike Raid, timing his throws to slip Processor Unit through the gaps in the geysers to land any solid hits.

"Hmmm... I wonder..." Maylin quipped, casting a Water spell that broke through the lava geysers and pushed Altermere Téa back a few steps.

"Of course! It's so obvious it's almost insulting!" Maylin proclaimed, continuing to fire barrages of Water spells to keep the geysers down so Nick and Haruka could attack.

And they did just that, uniting into Valor Form and laying into Altermere Téa with a barrage of slashes from all conceivable angles. Before Valor Form Nick could deal the finishing blow, however, Altermere Téa slammed her hands down and unleashed a short-range concussive burst of flames that forced Valor Form Nick to jump back to avoid getting roasted.

"Cheap shot, water thing!" Valor Form Nick shouted, rushing right back into the fray and continuing his attack, finally getting a Brave Beat in, followed by a Sonic End that did the needed damage and popped the Altermere.

"And fire makes three," Maylin laughed.

"We've got another movie vortex," Haruka quipped after she and Nick split apart.

"All right, time to see where this tale takes us now," Nick stated, tapping the vortex with Processor Unit and watching the scene that unfolded.

Now, a woman that looked very much like a younger Xin Jing was confronting the Jade Emperor.

" _Why will you not release the dragons?!"_ Xin Jing exclaimed. _"How have they done you any wrong?!"_

" _This is MY kingdom, nymph,"_ the Jade Emperor proclaimed. _"They dared to challenge my might, and that simply can NOT be tolerated."_

" _All they did was give rain to the people to end this miserable drought that was killing the people YOU were supposed to protect!"_ Xin Jing shouted.

" _Do not test me, nymph,"_ the Jade Emperor growled. _"I am the ruler here, and you know quite well that my powers surpass yours."_

Xin Jing huffed at that, spinning on her heel. _"Your cruelty is equal only to your arrogance,"_ Xin Jing proclaimed. _"Ruminate on that."_

Xin Jing beat a hasty exit from the palace, and the scene ended.

"Well, _that_ was... a thing, I guess," Maylin stated.

"I think Xin Jing was angry that the emperor was being such a jackass about his kingdom," Haruka explained. "I mean, the dragons stopped a drought that could have killed everybody, and the emperor repays them by _sealing them away_? He'd better be glad I wasn't there, or I would have stomped him _flat_."

"Let's move," Nick stated. "We've still got two more doors to check."

After returning to the central hub, Maylin had a thought.

"I just realized something, you guys," Maylin stated as they entered the Earth door. "Where do we go once we've taken care of the doors? Because I don't see any other paths in this trippy place."

"I'm sure we'll find the way when we're done with that," Haruka quipped as they walked through a large canyon area with emerald green skies. "This is where Candracar was built, after all. There's magic in the air."

"On that note, I hope the Guardians are doing all right back in Candracar," Nick realized. "I have no idea what's happening over there while we're in the trippy world trying to solve what's probably the biggest case of time paradox I've ever heard of."

"And considering Cornelia's the only one of them who can wield a keyblade," Haruka stated. "And I doubt she alone could hold off the Heartless forever."

"So, basically, that means we should probably get our butts moving," Maylin summarized.

"Pretty much," Haruka quipped, dashing over to the dark orb nearby and blasting it with Quake to crack it and release an Altermere of Ebla, Nymph of the Moon.

Altermere Ebla didn't give Maylin time for a snappy one-liner, clapping her hands together and causing two pillars of earth to explode from the canyon walls around them, in an attempt to crush them into paste right there.

The trio leaped backwards to avoid the death trap, then slashed through the pillars and rushed straight for Altermere Ebla, who raised her right hand and started causing pillars of rock to rise up under them.

"Nice try, faker," Nick taunted, leaping off of the pillars one by one as the formed. "Cornelia taught me about that one. And now for something _else_ she taught me!"

Nick jumped from one last pillar and aimed for Altermere Ebla, the teeth of Processor Unit glowing with a bright green light. When he was close enough, Nick slashed downwards, then horizontally, each swing sending a wave of spiky rocks for Altermere Ebla. Finally, Nick swung Processor Unit in a fierce uppercut, causing a ring of sharp stalactites to erupt under Altermere Ebla, then explode outwards.

Altermere Ebla could take no more of this, and collapsed to her knees before exploding into a liquid substance that quickly dissipated.

"We are on a _roll_ here!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Yeah, these fights have been pretty easy, honestly," Nick quipped as he walked up to the vortex that had just appeared. "I mean, we're fighting the nymphs that created Candracar, even if they're just Altermeres."

"I think the Oracle said that Altermeres created like these ones don't have the same kind of power a normal Altermere would," Haruka admitted. "Whoever made these things probably just put them there to get in our way."

Within the vortex, the trio could see Xin Jing standing near a riverbed, her hands clasped together as if in prayer.

" _Great dragons, I know not if you can hear me,"_ Xin Jing proclaimed. _"Like many in this kingdom, I am touched by your kindness. You did not deserve the fate this cruel emperor has wrought upon you."_

Xin Jing stood up to her full height, raising her hands to the sky. _"Though I cannot undo the spell he placed on you, I may still know of a way to free you. This way, the world will know of the kind acts you have done for this land."_

Xin Jing's hands began to glow with a shining, eldritch light. However, the scene ended before the trio could see the results of the spell.

"Aw, come on, what's with the cliffhangers?!" Maylin shouted. "Not funny!"

"Wait, I think I get it now," Haruka quipped, getting Nick and Maylin's attention. "These scenes are supposed to be the myth of the Legend of the Four Dragons, an old Chinese story. It must have been a story created to hide the fact that Xin Jing and the nymphs were the creators of Candracar from the people of our Earth."

"If I remember correctly, Hay Lin said it was her grandmother's favorite story," Nick stated as they returned to the central hub and opened the last door, the Air door, finding themselves in a cityscape high in the sky, surrounded by light blue clouds.

"But why is this place showing us _that_ particular story, then?" Maylin wondered. "Does it have something to do with why we're here?"

"Let's just crack this last Altermere and get it over with," Nick proclaimed. "Because I've got a bad feeling that we're running out of time."

A short jog to the town square later, and the trio found themselves in front of the last dark orb. Maylin blasted it with a Thunder spell and it released an Altermere of N'ghala, Nymph of the Stars.

"Last one," Maylin quipped, psyching herself up. "Let's dance!"

Altermere N'ghala flew high into the air and began sending blades of razor wind down at the trio from above. Maylin shielded herself with Reflect, while Nick and Haruka dodged around to avoid the blades.

"We need to bring her down if we're ever gonna pop her one!" Haruka shouted while deflecting a wind blade with a horizontal swing of Rumbling Rose.

"I think I've got just the thing," Maylin giggled, spinning Counterpoint and casting a Graviga spell, creating a purple dome of magical pressure around Altermere N'ghala that forced her to land on the 'ground', vulnerable to attack.

Maylin opened up by double-casting Watera, then freezing the water bullets with Blizzaga, effectively buffeting Altermere N'ghala with a damaging hailstorm of frozen bullets.

"Nice improv," Nick quipped.

"Glad you like it!" Maylin laughed, trying to fight back a rising blush at the compliment. Deciding not to wait around for Altermere N'ghala to recover and get back into the air, Maylin rushed in and attacked, slicing three times with Counterpoint before ending with a Magic Hour that knocked Altermere N'ghala into the air.

"Nick, she's all yours!" Maylin shouted.

"You read my mind," Nick stated, running forward and hopping off of Maylin's shoulders to get the required elevation, then spinning through the air with a Hurricane Period, and finishing it off with a powered-up Ripple Drive that completely surrounded him.

This was all it took, as Altermere N'ghala fell back to the ground and exploded, leaving one final vortex behind.

"We got 'em all!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Now let's see how this story ends," Nick quipped, watching at the vortex came to life and showed four gigantic rivers.

Each of the four dragons from the first scene of this tale could be seen flying over their respective rivers, free as a bird.

In the city of the Jade Emperor, at the very center of the city, a crystal could be seen glowing with the colors of the four dragons.

A crystal that looked very familiar to the trio.

"It's the Heart of Candracar," Maylin gasped. "But what happened to Xin Jing?"

"She must have turned those mountains into rivers," Haruka explained. "That freed the dragons, but at the cost of her own body, I think."

"And the crystal that eventually became the Heart of Candracar was all she left behind," Nick stated. "Containing the essence of both herself and the dragons."

"We'd better get back to the main area," Haruka proclaimed. "Now that all the Altermeres are dead weight, maybe we'll find out who's behind all this."

So, the trio returned to the central hub, and just as Haruka had predicted, there was now a sixth door in the very center, no doubt leading to the madman responsible for all of this.

"Well, all in who's going in, right?" Maylin stated, and the trio all opened the door together, revealing a large garden surrounded by darkness. Within this garden, five large spheres were floating around, each one containing one of the five nymphs and dark purple electricity flowing from their shells to a central core at the very edge of the garden.

And waiting there by the core was none other than Red's new lieutenant, Black Fang.

"All right, you, why don't you turn around and show yourself so we can get on with the beatdown?!" Maylin shouted.

"Ah, the keyblade wielders," Black Fang proclaimed, turning around and adjusting his spike-line cape. "Fancy to meet you here. I figured you'd find me eventually, but it's too late. Once the nymphs' powers are completely drained, Candracar will have never existed, and there won't be a damn thing in this universe that can stop our conquest! All of _existence_ will be swallowed in eternal and never-ending darkness! Isn't that just wonderful?"

"You're off your gourd, freak show," Nick growled. "Haven't you ever heard of the butterfly effect?! You're risking catastrophic change to our time if you keep this up!"

"Acceptable sacrifices for our plan," Black Fang cackled. "I really don't expect the likes of you to understand. If people are blinded by the light, then would it not be better to live in darkness, untainted by the tyranny of light?"

"Light and darkness are _supposed_ to be in _balance_ , you whack job!" Maylin exclaimed. "Don't you know _anything_ about how this universe _works_?!"

"Ah, what does it matter anyway?" Black Fang stated, drawing a wickedly-sharp scimitar from within his cape. "Red requested that I _personally_ put you annoyances down while he's off preparing... shall we say, _other_ things. Be ever thankful for that. At my blade, your deaths will be quick and, well, _relatively_ painless."

Nick responded by simply raising his hand and summoning Riot Ranger. "Bring it on, jester jerk."

Black Fang laughed maniacally at this, readying his own blade for battle. "Very well, then. Show me what you're made of!"

Just then, Black Fang vanished without a trace. Nick just barely got Processor Unit up in time to deflect the wickedly-fast swing from Black Fang's scimitar.

"Holy balls, he's _fast_!" Haruka shouted, dancing around Black Fang's attacks as best she could.

Maylin, to everyone's surprise, grinned at this. "Then that means it's time I bust out a spell I've been saving specifically for such an opponent!"

Maylin reached for the needed spell coin, laughed gleefully, and tossed it into the air. _"Force, know my plight! Release the light! HASTE!"_

The instant Maylin struck the coin, Nick felt a strange power flowing through his body. As Black Fang approached him, Nick dodged to the right, and suddenly found himself on the opposite side of the battleground in an instant.

"Whoa, did I just go Sonic or something?" Nick wondered.

"That's my Maylin-patented Sonic spell!" Maylin proclaimed. "It basically speeds you up so you move and attack at least five times faster! I figured it was time to bust it out to counter speed nut over here."

"Good trick, kiddies," Black Fang cackled. "But not nearly good enough!"

"Wanna bet?" Nick teased, using his Sonic-enhanced speed to meet Black Fang strike for strike, the two of them attacking so fast that all they left behind were afterimages and the shockwaves of their clashing attacks.

Nick hopped away to avoid another attack easily, landing on the ground right by the central core that was trapping the nymphs. Realizing that he should probably break this thing while he had a chance, Nick went to work and began hacking away at the core.

"I don't think so!" Black Fang shouted, raising his scimitar to the sky and channeling dark energy into it, then slamming it down to send a wave of darkness straight for Nick.

Timing it down to the second, Nick jumped away at the last second so that the dark wave struck the central core instead, cracking it in many places.

"So sorry," Nick quipped as he felt the Sonic spell wear off. "But that's not going to work today."

Black Fang didn't seem deterred, instead affecting to dash forward like lightning and slash at Nick while his guard was down, sending him crashing to the ground in a rather painful fashion.

"Oh, you're gonna get it now!" Maylin growled, readying a super spell coin.

"You wish to take me on in a duel of magic, I see," Black Fang proclaimed. "Sad to say that you could never hope to best me as such, little girl."

As if responding to Black Fang's threat, an aquatic blue magical aura exploded to life around Maylin.

"W-whoa, what's happening?" Maylin wondered. "This wasn't in any of the spellbooks..."

After feeling another similar magical flare, Maylin glanced back at Nick, who was just standing up after casting Curaga on himself. His body was surrounded by the exact same aura, and his clothes were glowing brightly.

And then, Maylin understood.

She walked over to Nick, a gigantic smile on her face. "Hey, Nick? You wanna teach this nutjob what it means to mess with two powerful mages who kick ass up and down the multiverse?"

"You know it," Nick proclaimed, reaching a hand out to Maylin. The young mage laughed happily before hugging Nick tightly.

Silver light exploded from Nick's body, causing Maylin to vanish and a bright flash to fill the area. When it cleared away, Nick had transformed once again.

Unlike Valor Form, this form changed Nick's clothes to shades of blue and black, with a flame emblem imprinted on his pant legs and sleeves. Two large sparkles of blue magic spiraled around Nick's body like a helix, and a blue mist sparkled under his feet, as if lifting him slightly off the ground. Nick was spinning both Processor Unit and Counterpoint in his hands.

"Haruka, go take care of that core thing," Wisdom Form Nick asked, his voice a combination of Nick and Maylin's voices. "We'll handle the jester."

"Roger that," Haruka proclaimed before rushing off to attack the dark core.

"You said some crack about not being able to best you in a duel of magic," Wisdom Form Nick taunted, staring Black Fang down. "Well, look who's laughing now, jerk!"

Going immediately on the offensive, Wisdom Form Nick started gliding forward, actually _gliding_ , his feet not even touching the ground, as he raised both keyblades and started firing shot after shot of magical bullets. Black Fang attempted to raise a dark barrier to defend himself, but the bullets easily broke through and started pounding at him, forcing him to back off slightly.

Not content with just this, Wisdom Form Nick swung both Processor Unit and Counterpoint horizontally, unleashing a large spread of bullets in a wave pattern, knocking Black Fang over.

"Is that all you're going to do?" Black Fang growled.

"Oh, I'm just getting started," Wisdom Form Nick shot back, aiming Counterpoint for the sky and casting Thundaga. This time, however, even though the spell still rained about a dozen large thunderbolts down on Black Fang, each bolt exploded into a shockwave when it hit Black Fang, adding some extra damage.

Wisdom Form Nick, true to his word, was just getting started, now raising Processor Unit and shooting three large fireballs in a spiral pattern that all converged on Black Fang at once and erupted into a geyser of flames, damaging the jester further. Wisdom Form Nick continued his magical assault by swinging his keyblades and sending two large ice crystals that exploded into a localized blizzard around Black Fang.

Wisdom Form Nick continued this berserker magical assault for a few minutes, throwing every kind of spell he could to damage Black Fang while Haruka took care of the core that was keeping the nymphs trapped.

With one decisive strike from Rumbling Rose, Haruka finally shattered the dark core, in the process popping the strange spheres that were holding the nymphs and allowing them to fly free.

Black Fang glanced at the now-freed nymphs, finally realizing that he might just be in over his head.

Wisdom Form Nick didn't give Black Fang any time to mull it over, simply raising his keyblades for the finisher.

" _O power that lies at the root of all creation..."_ Wisdom Form Nick chanted, four large energy orbs appearing around him.

" _O memory inscribed in ages past..."_ Wisdom Form Nick proclaimed, the orb flying over to Black Fang and spiraling around him. _"Hear my call and arise before me!"_

Black Fang desperately put up another dark barrier to protect himself.

" _ANCIENT CATASTROPHE!"_ Wisdom Form Nick shouted, and the energy orbs came together around Black Fang and exploded violently, severely damaging Black Fang and leaving multiple tatters in his jester cape.

"Wretched brats..." Black Fang growled.

"It serves you right!" Wisdom Form Nick shot back, splitting back into Nick and Maylin.

"Guess a tactical retreat is in order," Black Fang conceded. "This won't be the last we see of each other, brats!"

Black Fang stood up to his full height and cast a spell to summon a large door, identical to the one the trio had entered this world through.

"Nick!" Haruka shouted.

"I see it," Nick responded, waiting until Black Fang was through the door to raise his keyblade. A large keyhole appeared on the face of the door, and Nick fired a beam of light from the teeth of Processor Unit into said keyhole, locking it with a loud "CLICK" and causing the door itself to vanish into nothingness.

"And, mission accomplished!" Maylin laughed. "One freak sent packing, a time paradox averted, and we saved Candracar! I'd say that's all in a good day's work."

"Excuse me, young heroes?" Xin Jing asked, floating towards them. "Who, exactly, are you?"

"Well, to be honest, we're not sure if we can tell you the full story," Haruka admitted. "Because, well... um... oh, jeez, how exactly do I word this..."

To her surprise, Xin Jing merely laughed softly. "It is okay, young wielder of the keyblade. I understand why you are here."

"Wait, you _do_?" Maylin gasped.

"I foresaw it before we were imprisoned," Xin Jing explained. "That despite our capture, three skilled warriors would come back to save us."

"Yeah, 'cause by capturing you before you could create Candracar, it started messing everything up in our timeline," Maylin quipped. "So we _had_ to come back and send that fang guy packing his bags!"

"Thank you for protecting us," Xin Jing proclaimed. "We are forever in your debt. Now, we grant you a new power for your quest."

All five nymphs raised their hands and shot a collective surge of light to Nick's hand, and when he took hold of it, the light transfigured itself into a new keyblade. The weapon's handle and the middle of its shaft were made by a thin, red bar that lined the middle of the weapon. The center bar was framed by two similar and more ornate bars, one green and one blue, that lined its sides and curve to create the sides of the weapon's guard. Two yellow stars decorated the bottom of the guard and a third was set at the base of the blade. Two small, white fairy wings sprouted from the sides of the third star, forming a crossguard. A large, yellow, eight-pointed star with a ring around its tips was connected to the end of the main blade. The teeth were formed by three five-pointed stars (one red, one blue, and one green) flying off from this large star. As Nick studied the weapon, the words _Fairy Stars_ came to mind.

"I assume you will be returning to your own time now?" Xin Jing wondered.

"Yup," Maylin quipped. "Our mission here is done, so we've got no reason to stick around. Besides, you all have something to get started, right? So, we won't keep ya."

And with that, the trio turned and made their way back to their own time door. Xin Jing watched them leave with a bright smile adorning her face.

"They are truly destined for great things. With them on the side of righteousness, I believe the universe is in good hands."

* * *

Cornelia was the first to notice little sparkles beginning to fall from the ceiling. Before she could raise Earthshaker in defense, the thorns that covered everything began to shine with a bright light before disappearing in a flash, leaving everything as it had been before all of this had begun.

"Hey, the thorns are gone!" Cornelia gasped.

"They did it!" Irma shouted.

"Damn right we did!"

The Guardians turned around just as Nick, Maylin, and Haruka walked out of the door.

"One nutball served up extra crispy, Your Majesty!" Maylin proclaimed.

"Well done, keyblade wielders," Himerish stated. "Thanks to your efforts, the multiverse is safe once again. Now, I trust that you did not do anything reckless while you were there?"

"Nothing besides unlocking a new Drive Form and sending Black Fang back to whatever sewer he crawled out of!" Maylin giggled.

"You should have seen it, Your Majesty," Nick stated. "Maylin and I basically combined our magical talents and unleashed some unbelievable spells that I'm sure would make Aqua proud."

Himerish seemed surprised by this last revelation. "You have seen Aqua? Is she doing all right?"

"Mostly," Maylin answered. "She's still searching for Terra and Ven, so we promised that we'd check in on the Land of Departure every now and then, just in case something happens that might lead us to them."

"Yes, it is disturbing that we still have not located them yet," Himerish proclaimed. "Hopefully they will be found safe soon."

Himerish glanced at the restored Aurameres after seeing them glow brightly. "Hmmm... what is this, now?" Himerish wondered as Nick raised his keyblade.

Energy began to gather around Fairy Stars' teeth, before eventually absorbing into the ground below Nick and creating the shape of a crown under his feet. As wind began to swirl around Nick's body as he channeled his power, the glow surrounding the Aurameres created a wave of light that eventually formed into a large keyhole in the sky.

Nick jumped back, spinning Fairy Stars a few times before aiming and firing a beam of light from the keyblade into the keyhole. Reality seemed to shatter in a large circle around the keyhole, lines of light flowing into it before creating a bright flare that caused the keyhole to disappear.

"Well, guess it's time to be moving on," Nick stated.

"Hey, Maylin?" Cornelia wondered. Might as well, after all. She didn't want this to linger and cause any trouble between her friends.

"What's up?" Maylin quipped, lazily twirling Counterpoint.

"Isn't there something you want to say to Nick?"

At first, Maylin was confused. "Um, something I want to say? Maybe how awesome we are in Wisdom Form? Like he said, you should have seen us rain down magical DOOOOOOOOOOM on that Black Fang dude! I mean, first with the magical bullets and then with the super-powered spells and then..."

Maylin's rambling slowly trailed off as she finally realized _exactly_ what Cornelia meant by that.

"...how do you know?" Maylin sighed.

"People say I notice things," Cornelia replied, trying to be as delicate as possible. "And I can understand why you didn't want to say anything about it until you were ready. But I didn't want this to cause a rift between us, so..."

"Maylin, what's she talking about?" Nick wondered.

"See, Cornelia?! Why did you think I was so worried about saying it?!" Maylin exclaimed, tears starting to streak down her face. "What am I _supposed_ to say?! I can't just freakin' waltz up to Nick and say 'hey, I'm in love with you' to his face when his _girlfriend_ is standing right there! This is _exactly_ what I was afraid of!"

Nick just stood there, still confused as to what exactly was going on.

"I didn't want to just push my own feelings to the wayside," Maylin cried. "But, still, I didn't want to get on your bad side, Cornelia, just because of something I couldn't control!"

"Maylin, why are you getting so worked up over this?" Cornelia wondered, honestly unsure.

"Yeah, Maylin, what's all this about?" Nick asked.

Maylin sighed in defeat, realizing there was no way out of it now. Letting Counterpoint vanish for the moment, she walked up to a still confused Nick. Before he could say anything, Maylin leaned in, placed her hands on Nick's shoulders, and kissed him full on the lips for about five seconds.

When she let Nick go, Maylin's face could have been easily mistaken for a tomato, even in her slightly distressed state.

"Nick... the truth is... I'm in love with you," Maylin explained. "I think it started after everything that happened at the Blue Sky Kingdom. At first, I tried to suppress those feelings because you always gushed so much about how you were in love with Cornelia, but I couldn't fool myself for long. And all those times I teased you about your crushes... I think I was actually doing it to hide how I really felt about you. Still, I didn't know if I could even have a chance with you, so when we all got back together, I pushed you into confessing to Cornelia, so I could finally get it off of my back. But... I guess it never went away. Asuna and Yuuki actually caught on before we left Alfheim, and they told me to tell you when I was ready, that if you cared about me like I do for you, you'd understand what I wanted to say."

Unable to hold it in any longer, Maylin started full-on crying. Nick glanced towards Cornelia, who just smiled and nodded, before turning back to Maylin. Gently so as not to set her off further, Nick moved Maylin's hands away from her eyes, then leaned in and kissed her.

Maylin's eyes flew all the way open before closing again a second later, relishing in the feeling. _Oh, my god, he actually feels the same!_ Maylin thought.

"Hey, is it me, or is this becoming a trend, Nick getting a girlfriend in Candracar?" Irma quipped. "Is this gonna be like a Cupid kinda place now?"

Maylin stared in complete surprise at Irma for a few seconds before bursting into laughter, causing the rest of the Guardians to follow suit.

"There we go! And _all_ the tension in the room is _gone_!" Irma laughed. "I've been told I have a knack for that."

Maylin dried her tears before looking back at Nick. "You... you really feel the same way, Nick?" Maylin asked.

"Didn't I already answer that question, silly?" Nick teased. "But seriously, I'm glad you told me, Maylin. To be frank, I can understand why you didn't wanna say anything. But you decided to follow your heart. And that takes a lot of courage."

Maylin smiled and hugged Nick tightly.

"So, as long as it's okay with Cornelia..." Nick stated, to which Cornelia just gave a thumbs-up. "So, apparently I have _two_ girlfriends now. Isn't that supposed to be something that only happens in trashy romance novels?"

"Admit it, Nick, you liked reading that one that Joey was reading," Irma giggled.

"Only until they started going off the rails with _that_ crap!" Nick retorted. "Seriously, 'I truck. Hard.' HOW IS THAT LITERATURE?!"

Everyone started laughing again, not knowing that they were being watched by another unknown figure clad in armor similar to Aqua's, only this armor was colored bright gold and red.

It had no idea what it was doing here, but it knew that these strange people knew Aqua somehow.

But why...?

* * *

"Ah, that felt good to get off my chest," Maylin sighed as the trio returned to the Gummi Ship.

"See, Maylin? It wasn't as hard as you were making yourself think it is," Haruka quipped.

"It was still pretty tricky, though," Maylin replied. "How would _you_ say 'I love you' to someone who's already hitched?"

"...good point," Haruka conceded.

"Well, let's put all the drama behind us, shall we?" Nick proclaimed. "The worlds are calling, after all."

"That they are, fearless leader!" Maylin exclaimed. "Let's go!"

For good measure, Maylin leaned over and kissed Nick on the cheek as the Gummi Ship coasted off through the Lanes Between.

 _Honestly, I'm happy for you, Maylin,_ Haruka thought. _It's just been us for so long until we met Nick. You really do deserve someone who'll make you happy._

Haruka smiled at the affectionate exchange before returning to her piloting duties. They still had a long way to go, after all.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New Drive Form acquired!_

 **Wisdom Form  
** _Form Focus:_ Merge with Maylin's spirit to attain great magical power.  
 _Drive Gauge Points Used:_ **3  
** _Advancing Form Ability_ **:** **Quick Run** (Quickly sprint in a direction to evade attacks easily.)  
 _Action Abilities:  
_ **Wisdom Twirl:** A double keyblade flourish when in melee range.  
 **Wisdom Spiral:** Delivers a spinning attack that covers a wide range when surrounded.  
 **Wisdom Shot:** When out of range, basic attacks become a flurry of magic bullets that can be continuously fired.  
 **Wisdom Purge:** When out of range, deals a powerful combo finisher that attacks in a wide range in front.  
 **Wisdom Rise:** When in melee range, delivers a powerful ground combo finisher that knocks the target into the air.  
 **Wisdom Spike:** When in melee range, delivers a powerful air combo finisher that drives the target back to the ground.  
 _Support Abilities:  
_ **Magic Haste:** Shortens magic casting time and enables rapid magic combos.  
 **Magic Spice:** Powers up the finishing move of magic combos.  
 **Retaliating Slash:** When knocked down, quickly regain balance and counterattack.  
 **Retaliating Shot:** When knocked down, quickly regain balance and counter with a quick blast.

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Fairy Stars  
** Strength: 7  
Magic: 12  
Ability: Magic Boost  
 _A keyblade representing the nymphs who created and defend the stronghold of existence. A weapon of masterful magic that boosts the effectiveness of all magic spells and magic-based attacks by 40%._

* * *

On the next episode:

Nick: Oof, what happened here?

Maylin: Yeah, this whole freakin' base looks like it's been abandoned for years!

Haruka: All the equipment's in disarray, and the communication towers outside are wrecked. It's like mother nature just dropped a freak blizzard on this place.

Nick: Wait, I think there's someone in here!

Haruka: A survivor, maybe?

Maylin: I hope so, because this place gives me the _chills_! ...um, no pun intended, right?

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "A World Worth Fighting For"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	6. A World Worth Fighting For

"I still don't think I'm ever gonna get used to this," Nick quipped as the Gummi Ship flew out of the keyhole, connecting the route to the world ahead and dissipating its barrier.

"Used to what?" Haruka asked.

"Um, maybe the fact that I have _two_ girlfriends?" Nick laughed, causing Maylin to laugh as well. "Like I said, that's normally something that only happens in those weirdo romance books! I swear I can still remember that one that Taranee lent to me..."

"Hey, I'm pretty sure our lives aren't ever going to be normal again," Maylin admitted. "But honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way."

Maylin punctuated her admission by kissing Nick on the cheek, something she'd grown quite accustomed to doing.

"Well, now, what do we have here?" Haruka quipped, prompting Nick and Maylin to walk up to the main viewscreen to check out the world up ahead.

It appeared to be a large expanse of snow-covered land, almost like Antarctica or the North Pole. At the very center of this landmass was a gigantic base, almost resembling a sci-fi command station from the outside. One of the larger towers, however, was in a very visible state of disrepair. It was almost as if mother nature had dropped its wrath on this station.

"Definitely one of the more oddball sights I've seen," Haruka admitted.

"Personally, I wanna know what happened to that station," Maylin stated. "Did mother nature wreck it, or did the Heartless get here first?"

"I'm more inclined to believe the first option, because this world probably wouldn't be here right now if the Heartless had their way," Nick proclaimed. "Either way, let's head down there and see if we can get the story."

"Roger that. Prepare for landing!" Haruka proclaimed, steering the Gummi Ship towards the new world.

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae  
** _Cherami Leigh Kuhn_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** It's as if all life fled from Watchpoint Antarctica, as our trio arrive to find a weather station completely abandoned due to a freak blizzard. Or so they think, as the lone survivor of this disaster wakes up from cryosleep to a world very different than the one she left behind. Nick and the girls will have to help Mei fix the communication tower in order to contact the outside world, all while fending off the Heartless and Nobodies and being visited by a certain specter...

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World:** Okay, originally this was going to be the _One-Punch Man_ chapter, but something I saw recently inspired me. Here, we're going to be visiting the world of _Overwatch_ , specifically Mei Ling Zhou's backstory as of the recently-released animated short "Rise and Shine". I haven't really played Overwatch yet for a few reasons (one, because I'm bad at shooters, like, _really freakin' bad_ , and two, until recently, the computer I've been using was an old Vista piece of bunk), but Mei has always been one of my favorites since the initial reveal. Maybe I'll try her out if I ever start playing... decisions, decisions...

 **EDIT 10/31/18:** Fixed a tiny plot hole mentioned in A Fragmentary Passage.

* * *

Episode 6: A World Worth Fighting For

As the cryosleep chamber finally surged back to life, the lights came on one by one, slowly illuminating the darkness that had pervaded the station for the past nine years. A monitor to the far right of the room activated, a display showing that a message was attempting to come through despite the rather weak signal.

Meanwhile, the cryo-chambers began to activate, though only one of them actually opened in response. Its occupant stretched her arms, still sleepy but nonetheless well-rested from her "nap".

After slipping her trademark fuzzy yeti slippers on, she walked up to her remote drone, Snowball. "Time to get up, sleepyhead," Mei giggled.

As Snowball activated, Mei walked out to start her usual morning routine, making sure to grab all of the coffee cups for her teammates.

But just as Mei was about to walk up to the computer console to check the data readouts, Snowball began bobbing up and down, its computerized eyes gazing towards a nearby hallway that led out into the main facility.

Understanding what Snowball was trying to say, Mei started moving towards the indicated hallway. There was an intruder in the base.

"Yeesh, talk about bleak," Maylin quipped, taking in everything that surrounded them. "What do you guys think happened here?"

"No clue, but I don't feel any lingering darkness around here, so, for once, I don't think the Heartless are to blame," Haruka answered.

"Still, we'd better stay on guard," Nick replied, his right hand ready to summon his keyblade at a moment's notice. "I don't like the vibe this place is giving me."

Nick never really liked desolate places, having been soured on them due to a particularly creepy experience when he was younger. It was also the main reason he didn't really care for haunted houses (though the bigger reason for _that_ was what the one at the carnival had done to Marie).

A little flying drone quickly flew around Maylin's head, studying her for a few seconds before wildly juking through the air to avoid the thunderbolts that the now-startled mage decided to start firing.

"Holy crap, Maylin, stop trying to fry the little thing! We don't know if it's friendly or not!" Haruka shouted, finally getting Maylin to stop spamming Thunder spells at Snowball.

"JEEZ, that thing came _right_ the hell out of nowhere!" Maylin gasped, catching her breath. "I mean, who does that?!"

Haruka just gave a smug grin, as if Maylin already knew the answer to that question.

"What?" Maylin asked. _"WHAT?!"_

A loud squeak broke the group's concentration as they spun around to check out its source, that being Mei, who had fallen back due to being surprised by their arrival. Mei looked up, a brief flash of fear flickering across her face.

"Easy, easy!" Maylin stammered. "We mean you no harm, we promise!"

Mei seemed satisfied by that answer, something Maylin wasn't expecting. After all, the last time she had tried that was against the crew of the Normandy, and they had fired on them anyway. Not exactly the best way to introduce yourself, after all.

 _Bad memories of almost getting flash-fried by lasers aside..._ Maylin thought before walking over to help Mei back to her feet. "You okay?"

"Just got startled, honestly," Mei admitted. "I didn't think there was anyone else in this base..."

Maylin laughed nervously, realizing that this was gonna be tricky to explain.

Nick would have offered to explain if he hadn't noticed a shadow creeping up behind Mei, who had no clue that something was approaching her.

"Are you okay, Snowball?" Mei asked, the drone in question showing a 'thumbs-up' emoticon.

"WATCH OUT!" Nick shouted, summoning Fairy Stars to his hands and charging forward as the shadow lunged for Mei. Nick swung Fairy Stars out to intercept the strike, revealing the perpetrator in the process.

It was a large, humanoid Heartless covered from head to toe in silver and grey armor, sporting white spikes and steel blue highlights on its legs, two short spikes and a long, twisted, black antenna on its head. The most noticeable feature were the two jagged blue, ice blades where its hands should be and the two Heartless emblems on each of its shoulder pauldrons.

"Where'd _you_ come from, ugly?" Nick taunted, spinning Fairy Stars to block the Chill Ripper's attack, then hopping back to avoid a possible counter-strike.

Maylin was already on the offensive, dancing around the long hallway and unleashing one Firaga spell after another to keep the Chill Ripper at bay. After the fifth spell, the Chill Ripper picked itself up and zipped forward like lightning, striking in both directions as it got closer and sending a wave of icicles thundering across the floor. The three keyblade wielders scattered in different directions to avoid taking damage from this attack.

"Okay, freak-o, now you're making me mad," Maylin growled. "Prepare to feel my elemental wrath!"

The Chill Ripper, however, lunged forward and struck Maylin before she could reach for a spell coin, sending her sprawling to the ground. The Chill Ripper raised one of its icy blades to finish the job, but Haruka intercepted that strike with Rumbling Rose and then followed up with a Tremor that stumbled the Chill Ripper.

"Nick, you're on!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Roger that," Nick quipped, switching to World System (he still had all of his keychains from his previous adventure, after all) and moving in, the keyblade surrounded by a bright orange glow.

Just as the Chill Ripper was able to pick itself up, Nick lashed out with an Ars Arcanum, causing severe damage to the armored Heartless, sending it flying into the wall with the final strike. Nick was already doubling back before the Chill Ripper hit the wall to cast Curaga on Maylin and get her back on her feet.

"Well, Nick? You wanna roast this thing?" Maylin giggled.

"After you," Nick replied. Mei watched in amazement as Maylin hugged Nick tightly and the two united into Wisdom Form.

The Chill Ripper pried itself out of the hole it had made in the wall and prepared to go back on the offensive, only to be stopped by a shower of magical bullets.

Wisdom Form Nick didn't waste any time talking, firing off spell after spell into the Chill Ripper's body before finishing with a souped-up Firaga spell that created four large fireballs. They all orbited around the Chill Ripper for a few seconds before converging on it and exploding into a small inferno that finally took the persistent Heartless down. The Chill Ripper fell flat on its face and disintegrated, a large heart floating away from its remains.

"And that's that all done," Maylin quipped as she and Nick split apart. "We good?"

"Yeah, we good," Nick laughed as Maylin kissed him again.

"That was simply _amazing_ ," Mei gasped. "Are you three with Overwatch?"

Nick stood there for a few seconds, slightly confused. "Um... what's an 'Overwatch'? Because, miss, you can probably tell from what you just saw that we're not exactly from 'around here'.

So, as they all walked back to the control room, Mei told them the story. In this world, it was about "twenty minutes into the future", as Maylin liked to call it. The world had just survived the Omnic Crisis, a catastrophic battle where automated construction machines built by humanity had suddenly gone rogue, prompting the heroic organization known as Overwatch to form and put an end to the crisis.

Mei, or going by her full name, Mei-Ling Zhou, was a climatologist hired by Overwatch to investigate strange climate-based anomalies from Watchpoints like the one here in this world's Antarctica. A fierce polar storm had struck the base, cutting off the Watchpoint's supplies and resources, so Mei and her team had entered cryosleep until help could reach them. As Mei had been the first to wake up, she knew it would only be a matter of time before her fellow scientists did the same.

"As long as we're here, let's check on the data," Mei stated, activating the data center's logs to review what the system had collected while she'd been sleeping.

"Hmmm... it looks like the atmospheric fluctuations above the anomaly are..." Mei started, suddenly gasping in shock at what she was seeing. "What?! It's much worse than we predicted! We need to contact headquarters!"

Mei looked back at the viewscreen, wondering where all this new data was coming from. Just as she was about to turn around to check on something, Mei was struck by a terrifying thought.

"Snowball? How long have we all been asleep?" Mei asked. The display on Snowball changed to read [9 YRS.]

"Wait, how is that possible?!" Mei gasped. "That can't be right... Overwatch would have come for us by now!"

Mei reached for a side panel and activated it, only for the viewscreen to basically read that the station's satellite uplink wasn't functioning, meaning all communications were down.

Pulling out a flash drive with the Overwatch symbol on it, Mei watched as the viewscreen displayed numerous articles and magazine covers about rather disturbing news pertaining to Overwatch, how corrupt it had become, and how it had eventually been disbanded and made illegal.

"They're... gone?" Mei wondered. "No one even knows we're still here..."

Maylin took a step closer to examine one of the articles, trying to make sense of why an organization dedicated to protecting the world had fallen so hard.

"It's horrifying, all of it," Maylin admitted. "They used to be a beacon of hope, and now _this_..."

"Not every story has a happy ending, Maylin," Haruka stated, putting her hand on Maylin's shoulder and squeezing gently. "You and I know that better than most."

Just then, Mei realized something else that absolutely horrified her.

"Wait, where is everybody?" Mei asked, her eyes widening at the realization as she stormed off down the hallway that led back to the cryochamber, with Snowball and the trio in pursuit.

Halfway back to the chamber, a group of Heartless spawned in their way, mostly Soldiers and Nightwalkers, but there was also a small swarm of what appeared to be little dark blobs encased in blocks of ice.

"Okay, wasn't expecting that," Nick quipped.

"The ice dudes are Icy Cubes," Haruka explained as she and Maylin went to work on the other Heartless. "They're not much trouble by themselves, but they usually come in pretty big packs, so melt them before they overwhelm you."

"Roger on that one," Nick replied, switching to Magic Rifle and letting a group of the Icy Cubes surround him. Just as they all lunged for him, Nick performed a variation on his Firaga spell that he hadn't used since so long ago, they very first time he'd used magic. Nick charged the blade of Magic Rifle with his spell, knowing that its inherent ability powered up fire magic, and spiked it to the ground, causing a vicious ring of flames to revolve around his body. Any Icy Cube who touched the ring of fire was instantly incinerated.

Once the way was clear, Mei moved as fast as she could, stumbling over herself a few times in her panic, until she reached the cryochamber.

Mei pressed her palm to one of the chamber windows to activate it, only to see the bright orange [MALFUNCTION] and a steady beep from the heart monitor.

Not wanting to believe what she was seeing, Mei checked all of the other pods besides her own. They all displayed the same malfunction alert and steady beep.

"No..." Mei gasped.

"They're... they're all dead..." Haruka whispered, walking up to clear the fog from one of the windows, only to back away in fright at the sight she saw within the chamber. "Yeesh... that is a _horrible_ way to die..."

Mei just collapsed to her knees and started crying for a few minutes, even as Snowball cuddled up to her.

Maylin walked up to the chamber, having seen something odd. A quick glance down at the figure's upper body, and she sensed something (or rather, a _lack_ of something) that made her cry out in shock. "What the hell?! Their hearts are gone, too! All of them!" Maylin cried out.

"So, what, the Heartless waited until they were dead and _then_ took their hearts?!" Haruka shouted. "How bold are these freaks getting?!"

Nick said nothing, opting to just swing Magic Rifle in frustration, knowing there was nothing he or Maylin could do for those poor people. Maylin had said once that her Cure spells only worked on someone who was still alive. Maylin constantly thanked her lucky stars that she had been in time to save Lafter not so long ago.

 _If only I could imagine the rampage Maylin said she went on after what happened there,_ Nick thought. _I'd wanna murder Jasley, too._

Mei picked herself back up, staring pointedly at the Overwatch flash drive in her hands. "Nine years worth of data... we could save millions of lives with this," Mei realized, glancing towards what remained of her former comrades. "I'll take your work and show it to the world, my friends. Or, at least... I'll try."

"Spoken like a true hero, Mei," Maylin proclaimed. "Something this world could _definitely_ use more of. Now how about we go and see if there's a way we can get that data to where it needs to go?"

"Where do we start, though?" Haruka asked. "I'm willing to bet that the comm tower is down, considering we could barely get a signal through."

"Let's go and check it out, then," Nick stated.

A short trip later, Mei pressed the door release button to lift the large blast door that led outside, instantly greeting the heroes with a blast of intense cold.

"Holy _crap_ , it's freezing out there!" Maylin squeaked.

"We're in the _Arctic_ , Maylin," Haruka teased. "It kinda comes with the territory."

"Hmmmm... maybe it's time to try something I learned recently," Maylin quipped as she summoned Counterpoint to her hands. Concentrating for a few seconds, Maylin raised Counterpoint to the sky, then snapped it down, spawning a dual helix of red energy spheres around all four of them.

And, just like that, Nick no longer felt the chill of the arctic air.

"Like it?" Maylin giggled. "It's my Maylin-patented 'Nul' spell! The Oracle taught me how to temporarily block elemental spells. Bad news, I've only got four Nul spells at the moment. I'm still learning, after all. But aside from temporary defense against the element of choice, it has environmental protection as well! For example, let's take what I just used. NulBlaze blocks fire spells and attacks, and also keeps you warm in any kind of bitter cold!"

"You all have so much strange power," Mei quipped.

"Well, we've been around the 'block', shall we say, and learned a lot of things," Haruka stated. "We have our own responsibilities, after all."

"Okay, I think we have a problem here," Nick proclaimed, raising Magic Rifle towards the tower in front of them. At the top was the station's satellite dish, which was in, well, pretty bad shape. The tower itself was listing slightly to the left thanks to a broken steel beam about halfway up.

"The dish is broken," Mei stated. "How are we going to get this data out?"

The group retreated back into the base to devise a strategy. Nick quickly noticed Mei staring wistfully at a picture on the communications desk of her posing with several other scientists, most likely the former members of this Watchpoint team.

"I can't possibly do this alone," Mei sighed. "I wish you guys were still here..."

"You've still got us," Nick stated, putting his hand on Mei's shoulder. "As long as we're here, we'll help you out. It's kinda what we do."

Even Snowball nodded, flying in to offer Mei a cup of coffee.

"Thank you, everyone," Mei replied, turning back to the screen. "First, let's see if we make the batteries here last a little longer here."

But as Mei went to activate that process, a bright red window popped to life on the viewscreen, displaying the words [WEAK SIGNAL].

"Hey, what's that all about?" Haruka asked.

"Someone's trying to broadcast through the Overwatch emergency frequency," Mei answered. "Maybe someone knows we're here after all!"

"But they're still not gonna get through unless we fix that tower up," Maylin proclaimed. "So let's get to brainstorming, peoples!"

So, they all moved through the base, collecting random knick-knacks and assorted objects that Mei wanted to put together. Apparently, one of the reasons for the damage to the communication tower was due to the snapped beams on one side that were causing the tower to list off and disrupt any possible signal. Mei wanted to create a device that could fix, or at least, anchor the busted beams and get the tower back to where it needed to be.

So, Mei decided to create what Maylin just called a "freeze gun", using the different parts they'd gathered to create a weapon that would use 'science-d' coolant (another Maylin term) to shoot a stream of weaponized ice.

But just when it seemed like the final test would be wrapped up, the lights in the base suddenly cut out completely.

Mei quickly moved to another room and saw what she'd feared; the last battery in the base was completely drained.

"I can't do this without the battery," Mei groaned, walking back to the desk.

"Yeah, without any power, we might be hosed," Haruka quipped. "Can't you give it a jolt, Maylin?"

No one noticed Snowball gazing towards what appeared to be one of his charging stations.

"I could, but I'm not sure if it'd work right," Maylin answered, glancing at Counterpoint. "My magic's pretty strong, after all, and I'm worried that even a basic Thunder spell might be too much. I don't wanna overcharge the thing and blow it up, because we're REALLY hosed if that happens..."

"I just needed a little longer..." Mei sighed. Snowball glanced back at Mei, its eyes narrowing in conclusion as it flew over to its station and plugged itself in, its battery meter beginning to drain.

Just as the group was about to come to a decision, the monitors around them flickered back to life.

"Hey, nice job, Maylin!" Haruka laughed.

Maylin was confused. "That wasn't me."

All four of them seemed to realize it at the same time, jerking their gazes to Snowball's charging station. Snowball's screen was displaying nothing but an empty battery meter.

"Snowball, no!" Mei shouted. "Y-you can't... you can't leave me alone..."

Mei took off her glasses for a second to dry her tears, giving a sad smile to her companion. "T-thank you, my friend... for everything..."

"Let's get out there and fix that tower," Haruka proclaimed. "So we can do good by what Snowball did for us."

Once her freeze gun was armed and ready, Mei dressed up in her parka and returned outside to the tower. Aiming for just the right spot, Mei fired her new weapon for the first time, a long stream of their weaponized coolant flowing from the barrel to create a spire of ice on the side of the beam and allow Mei to start climbing the tower.

However, Mei stopped in mid-climb, having seen something strange nearby.

"Hey, is that a friend of yours?" Mei asked, pointing towards where she'd seen the figure.

At first, Nick was curious, wondering who else had made it through this icy hell, but when he went to look, the figure was gone.

"Was it just a ghost?" Maylin quipped. "Maybe a Heartless trying to troll us?"

Nick tensed up quickly, having felt an odd flare of darkness behind him, near the tower. He didn't even need to turn around and look, as the soft but domineering giggle gave the figure's identity away. But he did anyway, just to be sure.

It was the Omen.

" _You again,"_ Maylin growled, instantly summoning Counterpoint to her hands. "What are _you_ doing back here, you little bitch?!"

The Omen just smiled, summoning her black Kingdom Key. _"It seems I must again remind you of your failures."_

Nick simply stood there, summoning his own Kingdom Key to his hands. "Sorry, freak show, that's not gonna work anymore."

The Omen just smirked. _"Then I guess we do this the old-fashioned way."_

Nick decided he wasn't going to stick around and wait, rushing out to clash with the Omen. The two traded attacks for a few seconds before Nick leaped over a wave of darkness, landing in the snow to clash again with the Omen.

"Mei, you just focus on fixing the tower!" Maylin exclaimed. "We'll take care of this numbnut."

Mei nodded as she continued to use her freeze gun to create icy steps for her to climb up the tower.

"Answer me this," Nick growled. "What the hell _are_ you, and _why_ do you look like my sister?!"

" _I can take any shape I want,"_ the Omen answered, swinging her keyblade overhead, a strike that Nick easily countered. _"I figured I would show you what you lost, so I could remind you of how you failed her."_

"Well, you're gonna be disappointed, because I already said that's not going to get to me any longer," Nick shot back, blasting the Omen away with a point-blank Thunder spell. "And you're going to be toast in about ten seconds if you don't get out of my sister's look _this instant._ "

Nick didn't wait for an answer, shoving the Omen back before lashing out with a Zantetsuken, chopping straight through the Omen's form.

However, the Omen didn't seem fazed, simply listing back and letting its form shift into a figure completely obscured by a very familiar black coat. However, this coat sported magenta flame designs on its sleeves and coattails, and the Omen's face couldn't be seen, save for a pair of bright red eyes and a wicked smile as red as said eyes.

"So, _this_ is what you really look like?" Haruka stated.

" _Pretty much,"_ the Omen proclaimed. _"Now prepare to be obliterated."_

The Omen simply leaped backwards before driving her keyblade into the snowy ground. A pool of evil-looking red light opened under Nick, barely giving him any time to dash away as five red spikes emerged from the pool and attempted to pincer Nick in.

Just as Nick was picking himself up, the Omen attacked again with that strange pincer strike, this time throwing it towards him instead of going from below. Nick quickly cast Reflect to block the attack while Maylin and Haruka moved in, flanking the Omen from either side.

"Let's see how _you_ like a pincer attack, ugly!" Maylin proclaimed as she and Haruka used Strike Raid from both sides to keep the Omen in her spot.

While this was happening, Nick made his way over before the Omen could recover and lashed out with an Ars Arcanum, fully intending to do as much damage as he could to this vile creature for disrespecting someone who had meant the world to him.

Before Nick could strike the final blow, though, the Omen spread her hands outward and pushed everyone away with a pulse wave. This didn't stop Nick, who leaped into the air and just floated there for a second, energy gathering around the teeth of the Kingdom Key. After about two seconds of charging up, Nick released that energy in the form of a spiral of laser beams that thundered through the arctic air like a bullet and struck the Omen, sending her crashing into a nearby snow pile.

"Yeah, suck on _that_!" Maylin exclaimed.

The Omen launched herself out of the snow pile towards the trio, her keyblade slicing through the air from multiple directions. Nick simply jumped over the wild attack and cast Thunder straight downwards, driving the Omen back into the snow.

Mei eventually reached the part of the tower that had snapped off during the storm, using her freeze gun to anchor the points with a wave of ice.

The Omen smirked evilly, picking herself up and throwing her keyblade, the black blade spinning through the air to strike a gas tank near the ice anchors, causing it to explode and shatter the ice Mei had just used. This action caused the upper half of the tower to start falling, with Mei hanging on for dear life.

"Oh, crap!" Maylin shouted.

"Hold on, I've got an idea!" Nick proclaimed, holding his hands out and concentrating. Thankfully, the Omen seemed to be more interested in watching the tower collapse. A ring of silver light began to spin around Nick as he focused on the 'science' of Mei's weapon.

After about three seconds, Nick's eyes flashed open.

" _Harmonization Ready!"_ Nick shouted, the ring of light shattering as he raised his Kingdom Key towards the tower, then swiping it to his right. Responding to his silent command, a large pillar of ice erupted from the nearby mountain wall and connected itself to the tower, stopping its fall just in time.

"Sweet improv, Nick!" Maylin giggled. "Now, let me handle this whackjob. I've got the perfect idea for the occasion!"

The Omen would have none of that and charged for Maylin, but Nick, still using his newest Harmonization, stuck the Kingdom Key into the ground to create a sheet of ice underneath the Omen, then swiping upwards to create four pillars of ice that trapped the Omen by her limbs.

Maylin took that moment to go to work, raising Counterpoint and actually switching to a new keyblade. At first, Nick seemed slightly confused, as he'd _never_ seen Maylin use any other keyblade than her normal one, both Spellbinder and Counterpoint, and then he turned slightly frazzled, as Maylin had just summoned Stormfall, a keyblade Marie had apparently used while she'd been working with the villains' council.

"Don't worry, Nick, this one's the real deal," Maylin explained, having guessed what Nick was thinking. "That one that Marie used was just a big ol' fake. And in case you're wondering, Aqua gave me this keyblade a while ago, and I decided to save it for... well, when I do _this_!"

 **("Shiny Ray" by Yurika plays)**

Maylin's body began to glow with a bright aquatic blue light as she raised Stormfall, which also was enshrouded in the same glow.

" _Style Change: Spellweaver!"_ Maylin proclaimed. Light exploded outwards from Maylin's body, forcing the Omen to shield her eyes as best she could.

When the light died down, Maylin was floating slightly off the ground, still surrounded by that radiant glow. Even her eyes were twinkling with the light of a star. Stormfall was floating by her right hand, being telekinetically controlled by Maylin with this new power of hers.

"Better say your prayers, because you're not getting _any_ mercy from me!" Maylin shouted, her voice echoing as she rushed the Omen, swinging Stormfall in wide, sweeping attacks. The keyblade actually spun around as she swung it, further adding to the damage it was causing. Maylin finished her combo by aiming Stormfall for the Omen and firing off a large sphere of light that did multiple hits worth of damage and caused the Omen to slump to her knees.

"Oh, I'm not through with you yet, jerk," Maylin proclaimed. Energy began to gather around Stormfall, and Maylin began to spin around like a ballet dancer, spirals of light surrounding her as she did so and lifting the Omen into the air with each hit.

After about seven straight seconds of spinning, Maylin finished with a swift flourish of Stormfall that created a large ice crystal above her, which instantly shattered and created a shockwave that sent the Omen crashing into a nearby cliff wall.

" _Such power. It seems they were right about you,"_ the Omen stated.

"Who's 'they'?!" Nick growled.

" _I see no reason to tell you,"_ the Omen laughed. _"Either way, this will not be the last we meet. Farewell for now."_

With that, the Omen wrapped itself in a cloak of darkness and vanished.

"That was _so cool_ , Maylin!" Haruka exclaimed. "Where did you learn that?!"

"Simple. Aqua taught me," Maylin giggled, switching back to Counterpoint. "It's a thing that she, Terra and Ven came up between the three of them, called a Style Change. They can temporarily change their fighting style by focusing on that particular aspect of combat. Spellweaver is Aqua's preferred style, and she actually taught me how to use it before they all vanished. I just never actually found the right time to use it until recently."

"That seems _incredibly_ useful," Nick quipped. "Beats the hell out of my Harmonizations for damn sure."

"You okay up there, Mei?" Maylin called. Mei just flashed a thumbs up.

A few minutes later, all four of the group were seated near the satellite on the tower, where Mei took a cable from the inner workings of the dish and plugged it into her laptop, hoping to decipher that strange transmission from Overwatch. Mei moved the transmitter she'd taken from the base to steady the signal.

"Come on, come on..." Mei pleaded.

"Hey, I think we're getting something," Maylin stated as she noticed the scrambled video feed slowly piecing itself together, revealing a large gorilla with glasses and wearing very futuristic armor.

" _Attention, all agents of Overwatch,"_ the gorilla proclaimed.

"Winston?!" Mei gasped.

" _The people decided that they were better off without us. They even had the nerve to call us criminals!"_ Winston explained. _"They tore our family apart and left us for dead. But look around! Someone_ _ **has**_ _to do something!_ _ **We**_ _have to do something! Together, we can make a difference again, like we were meant to. This world needs us, now more than ever. Are you with me?"_

The transmission cut out at that moment.

"Y-yes, Winston, I'm with you," Mei cried, wiping a few tears away.

"Overwatch fell to its darkness," Maylin proclaimed. "But it seems like at least some of them never forgot about the light that shines within."

"It's never too late," Haruka stated. "This world could certainly use more heroes."

Nick looked up to the beautiful aurora that permeated through the night sky and saw that a large keyhole had formed from said aurora. Nick didn't waste a second in raising the Kingdom Key and firing a beam of light into the keyhole, sealing it off with a loud click.

"And now your world has more of a fighting chance," Nick stated.

"Thank you, everyone," Mei sighed, reaching out to hug the trio tightly.

The next morning, after Mei decided to lay out a few cups of coffee for her fallen comrades, she decided to set out to find Winston and any other Overwatch agents. She even made a little solar panel attachment for Snowball's charging station so he could come back to life and stay charged while on their journey.

"Are you sure you can't come with me?" Mei asked.

"As much as we wish we could, we've got other worlds that need our help," Nick replied. "Besides, you have to find Winston, right? We wouldn't want to keep you."

Mei smiled as she raised her freeze gun and fired it into the air for a split second to create a snowflake-shaped trinket. "Then, take this with you. It's the least I can do after all you've done for me."

Nick reached out to catch the trinket as it fell, quickly attaching it to his keyblade and watching it transform. This new keyblade's guard was a perfect circle stylized like the Overwatch logo, the handle and hilt resembled Mei's freeze gun, the blade itself was shaped like the satellite transmitter Mei had used on the tower, rungs and all, and the "teeth" was actually a cute replica of Snowball. The snowflake token was connected to the keyblade by a long blue strand. The word _Ecopoint_ ran through Nick's mind.

A series of beeps came from Snowball, and Mei simply laughed. "Rise and shine, Snowball!" Mei giggled. "It's time to go."

Snowball "nodded", only to beep in confusion as it floated out of its charging station, surrounded by a blue glow.

"Snowball, are you okay?" Mei asked. Snowball just displayed a startled face as Nick raised his keyblade.

Energy began to gather around Ecopoint's teeth, before eventually absorbing into the ground below Nick and creating the shape of a crown under his feet. As wind began to swirl around Nick's body as he channeled his power, the glow surrounding Snowball created a wave of light that eventually formed into a large keyhole in the sky.

Nick jumped back, spinning Ecopoint a few times before aiming and firing a beam of light from the keyblade into the keyhole. Reality seemed to shatter in a large circle around the keyhole, lines of light flowing into it before creating a bright flare that caused the keyhole to disappear.

"That's our cue to get going, too," Maylin quipped. "The worlds are calling our name."

"I hope we can see each other again soon," Mei stated. "And hopefully the world will be a lot better off by then."

In a quick flash of inspiration, Nick threw his free hand up in a salute, to which Mei responded with one of her own.

Nick saw great promise in Mei. And that phrase. He knew Marie would have loved to say something like that.

" _The world could always use more heroes."_

* * *

"Another world liberated," Maylin giggled as the Gummi Ship flew on its dedicated course in search of the next world. "Seems like we're making progress, huh?"

Maylin trailed off when she noticed that Nick was lost in thought.

"Everything up-and-up, fearless leader?" Maylin asked.

"Just thinking about what the Omen said about the 'they' she mentioned," Nick answered. "I don't know if she was referring to Organization XIII or something _else_... we _really_ don't need any more problems popping up right now..."

"Hey, we'll take care of it," Maylin stated. "We always do, right?"

"Yeah, yeah we do," Nick relented as Maylin leaned over and kissed him.

The kiss only lasted for a few seconds before Haruka noticed something strange just up ahead.

"I'm starting to think this is gonna be a trend..." Haruka sighed as Nick and Maylin walked up to check it out. Haruka simply pointed towards the world ahead.

The world ahead of them resembled a large city with a tall, gleaming black tower in the center that rose so high it looked like it was overshadowing the city. Nick even saw a few strange monsters rampaging around the city.

What Haruka was concerned about was the odd figure clad in blue, silver and gold Keyblade Armor flying towards the world and riding its Keyblade Glider like a surfboard.

Maylin gasped in complete shock when the sight finally registered. "W-wait a minute, that's Ven!" Maylin exclaimed. "One of Aqua's buddies!"

"Then I think we need to connect this route quickly so we can see what the big deal is," Nick proclaimed as Haruka steered the Gummi Ship into the giant door.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New Harmonization acquired!_

 **Freeze Field  
** _Drive Gauge Points Needed:_ **2  
** _Purpose:_ Raise pillars of ice in specific places to gain access to otherwise unreachable areas or to assist in combat.

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Ecopoint  
** _Strength:_ **9**  
 _Magic:_ **6**  
 _Ability:_ **Blizzard Boost**  
 _Description:_ A keyblade representing the optimism that shines even when hope seems lost. Boosts magic to increase the damage done by ice-based attacks by 20%.

* * *

On the next episode:

Nick: Well, this place is interesting.

Maylin: How do you figure?

Nick: Well, for one, we have a bunch of monster freaks attacking the city, then they just get destroyed by either this amazing psychic prodigy or some bald nut who says he can kill anything with just one punch.

Haruka: I hope we never have to fight him, if that's true. He sounds SCARY.

Maylin: My question is, where are all of these monsters coming from? Because they're starting to arrive in droves, and these heroes might start getting overwhelmed in short order!

Haruka: Well, then I guess it's a good thing we're here, huh? Let's kick some faces in!

Maylin: ...Ven, what happened?

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "Ballad of Heroes"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	7. Ballad of Heroes

"Well, talk about a trip," Haruka admitted as the Gummi Ship returned to the Lanes Between and the barrier surrounding the world dispelled. "Just when I think I've seen everything out here in the Lanes, they surprise me again."

Maylin was silent, thinking back to her days when she'd always poke in on the escapades of Terra, Ven, and Aqua, the days she'd spent honing her skills up until the moment the Land of Departure had vanished into darkness.

"Hey," Nick quipped. "What's up?"

"Oh, just thinking about the past," Maylin stated, chuckling to herself at the fact that Nick was the one asking _her_ about what seemed to be bothering her, instead of the other way around as she had done for him so much on their last adventure.

 _Well, he's been so good to me, and I've always been a sounding board for his concerns,_ Maylin thought. _The least I could do is let_ _ **him**_ _be a sounding board for_ _ **my**_ _deeper thoughts, hehe._

"Now that I know there might be hope of finding them all alive and well, I just wanna get them back home," Maylin stated. "They were my best buds for so long, after all."

"And friends always back friends up," Nick responded. "That's the biggest lesson I've learned in my life."

"True that," Maylin giggled, leaning over to kiss Nick on the cheek.

"Okay, guys, how about we jet down there and see what the deal is with all these monsters crawling around?" Haruka asked.

"Wait, there's _monsters_ there?!" Maylin shouted.

"I don't think they're Heartless," Haruka answered Maylin's unspoken question. "They just look like the garden variety monsters, probably just ones that muck around this particular world."

"Either way, if there's creeps and weirdos here, then I think that means we need to clean house," Maylin proclaimed. "How about we go down and see what's up?"

"Roger that," Haruka responded. "Prepare for landing!"

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae  
** _Cherami Leigh Kuhn_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** In a world that seemed to have jumped out of every cheesy kaiju movie in existence, our keyblade-wielding trio find themselves in a city where monsters of all shapes and sizes attack relentlessly, only to be stopped by a member of the Hero Association. Despite the fact that most of the city's monsters are easily stopped by either a powerful psychic prodigy or a strange bald guy that can apparently kill anything with one punch, the Heartless are still an issue. But who is this mysterious woman that has taken an interest in our heroes?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World:** This chapter, we're visiting the world of ONE's superhero webcomic-turned-manga-turned-anime _One Punch Man_. You may remember that Tatsumaki was Nick's first summon in the first Key to Her Heart. Timeline-wise, this chapter takes place after the first season of the anime.

 **EDIT 10/5/18:** Added a few scenes in preparation for the revamp of _Key to Her Heart: A Fragmentary Passage_.

* * *

Episode 7: Ballad of Heroes

Nick quickly noticed, once they had disembarked from the Gummi Ship, that lots of people in this city were giving them strange looks. Not condescending or anything, but just surprised looks in general, as if they knew how powerful they were.

"Well, we're keyblade wielders, after all," Haruka stated. "And apparently, knowledge of the keyblade's spread a lot farther than I thought it would."

"It's still creepy, though," Maylin replied. "Some of these weirdos are sizing me up. I hope they're not the kind that haven't seen a woman in years, or I'm gonna have to get physical on their sorry faces!"

"Let's just keep looking around," Nick stated. "I'll whip them into shape if they try anything, but we should probably keep an eye out. Because if the Organization's here, we might be in for a fight."

"Ooh, just let me at 'em!" Maylin proclaimed. "I'm seriously itching for a good fight!"

Haruka sweatdropped at that line, knowing how strange it sounded. "Maylin, isn't that usually _my_ shtick?"

"Hey, I really wanted to give Wisdom Form a real drive!" Maylin giggled. "We took down that ice-blade thing too quickly for us to _really_ show what we're made of together!"

Nick stopped in his tracks when he heard a soft rumbling that seemed to be getting closer with each passing second. He looked back up and saw a particularly large beast charging towards them, wrecking everything it rammed through.

A voice began to blare throughout the city, _"MONSTER APPROACHING CITY Z, THREAT LEVEL: DEMON. PLEASE EVACUATE AS INSTRUCTED."_

"Well, it looks like you're about to get your wish, Maylin," Nick teased.

"AWESOME!" Maylin exclaimed as the trio summoned their keyblades for battle.

The monster stopped just short of them even as the citizens continued to flee in blind panic. It gazed down at them, eyeing them with some strange contempt, as if it had expected better.

"Ah, I see we have some fresh meat," the monster proclaimed.

"Oh, I wouldn't consider us mere _meat_ , monster boy," Maylin shot back. "You really have no idea what you've stepped in, do you?"

"Enlighten me," the Feral Fang laughed.

"Gladly," Maylin taunted, casting Thundaga and taking great pleasure in watching the Feral Fang recoil in, well, shock (pun definitely not intended).

"You will pay _dearly_ for that!" the Feral Fang roared, only to stop in confusion as something hopped onto its back. "Who are _you_?! Relieve yourself of my glorious visage this _instant_!"

Nick tensed up when he got a good look at the new arrival – it was the Omen.

"YOU!" Maylin shouted.

The Omen simply smirked evilly and raised her keyblade, drawing great torrents of darkness to its blade before stabbing it into the Feral Fang's back and sending all of her collected darkness into its body.

The Feral Fang writhed in agony for a few seconds before its body seemingly exploded in a dark flash, only for the remaining fragments of darkness to convalesce into another Demon Tower.

" _Have fun,"_ the Omen cackled before vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. The Demon Tower began to spiral around, sizing up the three keyblade wielders before lunging for them. Maylin quickly cast Reflect to stop the Demon Tower in its tracks before jumping back to her companions.

"Well, what do you say, Nick? You wanna go Wisdom Form on this thing's sorry face?" Maylin laughed.

"Let's take care of business, then," Nick quipped as Maylin hugged him tightly before vanishing as they united into Wisdom Form, dual-wielding Counterpoint and Fairy Stars.

The Demon Tower continued to undulate through the empty air before attempting another strike, but Wisdom Form Nick simply blasted it back with a super-charged Blizzaga spell that exploded into a star formation of razor-sharp ice crystals on contact.

"Yeah, go chew on that," Wisdom Form Nick laughed as Haruka dashed in to continue the attack, striking at the base of the Demon Tower with a Quake, hoping to at least break apart the monster and give them some breathing room.

Sadly, this was not to be, as the Demon Tower spiraled into the air before crashing down and unleashing a shockwave of the red-eyed Shadows. Wisdom Form Nick cast a powerful Reflect spell, the barrier essentially tripling in size, to defend himself while Haruka leapfrogged off of one of the Shadows to stay in the air.

As if expecting this very move, the Demon Tower thundered out to smash into Haruka's prone form, sending her crashing into the side of a nearby building.

"Wrong move," Wisdom Form Nick growled, aiming both of his keyblades for the Demon Tower and preparing to unleash a massive Thundaga spell.

However, just before he could begin channeling, a soft green glow enveloped the Demon Tower completely, freezing it where it stood. As Haruka picked herself up, she noticed a similarly-colored figure high in the sky.

After about three seconds of waiting, the energy surrounding the Demon Tower expanded as if inflating a balloon, and all of the demonic Shadows were ripped off of the Demon Tower in one fell swoop, all that remained being the Demon Tower's vulnerable core.

Wisdom Form Nick wasn't about to let the Demon Tower regenerate itself, and rushed over to deliver a quick X-slash to the core, shattering it and causing all of the remaining Shadows to evaporate.

"Boo-ya," Wisdom Form Nick quipped before separating back into Nick and Maylin.

"One more freak of nature served up extra crispy!" Maylin laughed. "But who busted the thing up for us?"

"Probably whoever that is up there," Haruka quipped, pointing to the figure in the sky as it began to descend towards them.

Tatsumaki gazed around, not seeing any trace of the monster she'd just obliterated. "Guess it was just another small fry," Tatsumaki quipped. "Oh, well. At least it was fun to rip it apart, unlike that _other_ guy. But who are those guys that were fighting it?"

After descending a few more feet, Tatsumaki smiled, the memories coming back to her.

"Well, it's been a while since I've seen all of you," Tatsumaki quipped once she'd landed on solid ground. "Didn't expect you to make a house call."

"Well, we figured, if we're in the neighborhood, we may as well!" Maylin proclaimed. "Is everything all right over here, Tatsu?"

Normally, Tatsumaki hated nicknames, but after spending most of the previous year as one of Nick's summons and generally (generally) growing to like the boy, she'd made that name the exception.

"Well, mostly," Tatsumaki answered. "This city still has some monster attacks, but that's really all in a day's work for the Hero Association."

"Wait, wait, there's an _association_ for _heroes_ in this world?!" Maylin gasped.

Tatsumaki eyed Maylin like she'd lost her memory or something, but quickly realized that this must be the first time they'd set foot in her world.

"Pretty much," Tatsumaki explained. "It's basically the job of the Hero Association to stop monster attacks against the cities. We each have different hero classes that handle different levels of threats. I myself am a Class 2, S-Rank hero."

"Wow, you're basically the second-strongest hero in this whole world?" Haruka gasped. "Major props to you!"

Nick just smiled, having obviously seen Tatsumaki's immense psychic power first hand while she'd been his summon.

"We just got out of a pretty huge battle with an alien warlord, so we're still cleaning up," Tatsumaki stated. "Either way, if you ever need my help in ripping these things apart, you just say the word."

Nick was about to flash a thumbs-up when something flashed by the group extremely fast, like a gust of wind.

"What the hell was that?" Tatsumaki proclaimed.

"Whatever it is, it's coming back again!" Haruka shouted.

Maylin was already on the move, rushing in front of the group and casting Reflect, causing the figure to crash into the barrier and leap back.

The figure, clad in blue, silver and gold Keyblade Armor, dismissed his glider and summoned his keyblade, Wayward Wind, to his hand, oddly wielding it in a reverse grip style.

"Where's Aqua?" the figure proclaimed.

Maylin took up a battle stance, but was mentally freaking out, as the figure didn't seem to recognize her. _Don't make me do this, Ven,_ Maylin thought.

"I'm not going to ask you again! Where's Aqua?!" Ventus shouted, deciding that enough was enough and going on the offensive, swinging his keyblade so fast that even Nick had trouble keeping up with Ventus' movements.

"All right, you wanna play that game?!" Nick growled, summoning Ecopoint and rushing forward to meet Ventus' attack. Ventus simply dodged Nick's strike and leaped into the air.

Nick was ready for that, however, blasting Ventus with a point-blank Thunder spell and causing him to crash back down to the ground. Nick was already on the move before Ventus even hit the ground, unleashing an Ars Arcanum on the younger warrior.

Ven was honestly surprised that someone knew his signature offensive attack, but decided not to let it bother him, swiftly recovering and striking back with his own version of Ars Arcanum, where the strikes were much faster and more acrobatic than Nick's application of brute strength.

"All right, you've got some explaining to do! How do you know my signature move?!" Ventus shouted.

Haruka didn't wait for Nick to give that answer, leaping over Nick and hopping off of his shoulders to get a boost. Before Ventus could counterattack, Haruka landed right in front of him and slammed Rumbling Rose hard to the ground, causing a localized earthquake underneath Ventus that completely shattered the concrete underneath him, forcing him backwards.

"Come on, Nick, let's get 'em before he can recover!" Haruka shouted as she and Nick rushed to opposite sides of the stunned Ventus.

As Ven tried to break out of his stun, Nick and Haruka spun around and sliced their keyblades through the empty air, creating a cutting light circle around them that stumbled Ventus again.

Nick and Haruka immediately went to work before Ventus could pick himself up, dancing around him and attacking with such force that their swings actually created blades of light that sliced at Ventus over and over.

After a while of this, Nick and Haruka held their keyblades to the sky, charging them with energy before slamming them down to the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked Ventus back to the ground.

Even so, Ventus refused to stay down, cutting a flip to regain his footing and brandishing Wayward Wind, the oddly-shaped blade glowing brightly.

"You asked for it!" Ventus shouted. _"Event Horizon!"_

Ventus rushed in and began slashing wildly with Wayward Wind, which had suddenly become a glowing sword of light, before leaping and slashing three times, each swing causing pillars of light to erupt around him. Nick was unprepared for the ferocity of the attack and was sent sprawling to the ground.

"There, how's _that_ feel?!" Ventus growled.

"Ven, _stop it!_ " Maylin shouted, summoning Counterpoint.

Ventus suddenly stopped in his tracks, having recognized Maylin's voice.

"W-wait a second," Ventus stated. "Maylin, is that really you?"

"I almost thought you didn't recognize me," Maylin replied.

Ventus touched a pauldron on the side of his shoulder to dismiss his armor, revealing a boy no older than Maylin, with spiky golden-blonde hair and blue eyes.

"You look so different than the last time I saw you," Ventus admitted.

"Well, Ven, it's been almost four years," Maylin laughed. "I'm not the same mousey girl I was before I started learning magic."

"No kidding," Ventus replied. "But... I really do want to know where Aqua is."

Maylin glanced at her reflection in Counterpoint. "I don't know where exactly she is at the moment, Ven, but we _did_ run into Aqua recently. She went back to the Land of Departure... well, what's left of it... in hopes she might find you guys coming back. Where have _you_ been, Ven?"

Ven sighed in defeat. This was always the hardest part.

"I'm... still looking for Terra."

Maylin sighed in defeat herself. "He's still missing?"

"What exactly happened to him?" Haruka wondered.

"Terra was taken by the darkness when the Land of Departure was attacked," Ventus explained. "And I promised myself I wouldn't go back, if there was anything left, until I found him."

Maylin turned back to her companions. "Terra was one of us back then," Maylin explained. "And if I could compare him to any of us, he fights a lot like you do, Haruka."

"Me? Really?" Haruka gasped.

"Yeah!" Maylin giggled. "Terra's all brute force and no real technique, just like how Aqua and I are the supreme mages and Ven and Nick are somewhere in the middle."

Haruka just sweatdropped at Maylin's comparison. _I have technique, I just don't often use it..._ Haruka thought.

"So, to answer your question, Ven, even though I don't know where exactly Aqua is right now, I still think you should go look for her," Maylin proclaimed. "She can't have traveled too far. Maybe you'll have better luck finding Terra together."

"And we'll keep an eye out for Terra while we're traveling," Haruka continued. "It's the least we can do."

"Honestly, I'm worried about him," Ventus admitted. "I don't know what exactly could have happened, but Terra's always had temptation issues."

"Issues? What kind?" Nick wondered.

"Terra has been trying to keep his inner darkness in check for a while," Ventus stated, letting the memories flood through his mind. "Master Eraqus was very strict about his policies on light and darkness. Terra just barely missed his first chance at the Mark of Mastery because of it. After we talked to Master Eraqus about it, he actually decided to let Terra take the exam again. But just as it was about to begin, a terrible darkness invaded the Land of Departure and took Terra away from us before we could fight it off."

Ventus glanced at Wayward Wind. "And I have no idea if she's coming back for me or Aqua anytime soon. I've had to stay on my toes for a very long time because of that."

Maylin suddenly broke out into a sunny smile, confusing Ventus for a second. "Is this darkness named Izanami-no-Mikoto, by any chance?"

"Yes, the mistress of eternal darkness," Ventus replied. "I don't know when she plans to attack again, but when she does, I just hope that I can..."

"She's toast."

Maylin's simply reply made Ventus stare at her in complete shock. "W-wait, you mean someone defeated her? Who could have possibly done that?!"

"You're lookin' at 'em," Haruka responded, gesturing to herself, Maylin, and Nick. "We sent that freak show packing once and for all."

"W-what? I didn't think it was possible once she reunited with her other vessels!" Ventus proclaimed.

"One of her vessels was fighting back," Nick explained, forcing those shadows back into the deepest recesses of his mind. Now wasn't the time, after all. "She gave us the opportunity to strike when Izanami-no-Mikoto wasn't anywhere near full strength, and we took her out for good."

"Then... there might still be a chance to save Terra after all!" Ventus exclaimed, touching the pauldron on his shoulder to re-summon his Keyblade Armor.

"Wait, wait, you're leaving already?" Maylin gasped.

"I'm gonna take your advice, Maylin, and go find Aqua," Ventus answered. "Maybe we can find him before it's too late. But for now, I want you to take this."

Ventus reached behind him and tossed a charm to Nick, who quickly recognized it as a Summon Charm much like the one Aqua had given him before.

"Now you've got another ally to call on if you need some help," Ventus stated. "I saw that Aqua must have given you one, too."

"Thanks for the help," Nick responded. "We'll likely need all the help we can get to take down the Organization."

"Oh, yeah! Watch out for those nutballs, okay, Ven?" Maylin exclaimed, realizing that Ventus most likely didn't know about them. "Organization XIII is a group of thirteen black-hooded Nobodies that are trying to find the way to Kingdom Hearts. We've taken down two of them already, but watch your step, because I'm sure the others have even stranger powers."

Ventus just nodded before transforming Wayward Wind into his Keyblade Glider and flying off through a portal back to the Lanes Between.

"Well... that was interesting," Tatsumaki admitted.

"Trust me, Tatsu, when you've seen all the crazy things we've seen on our adventures, you'll get used to it pretty quick," Haruka answered.

" _MONSTER APPROACHING CITY Z, THREAT LEVEL: DEMON. PLEASE EVACUATE AS INSTRUCTED."_

"Oh, jeez, not again," Tatsumaki groaned. "I hope it's not another small fry. I'm seriously looking forward to an actual challenge this time. And I'm _really_ hoping that one-punch baldie doesn't beat me to him this time..."

Tatsumaki turned back to the trio. "You guys will be okay while I'm mopping up, right?"

"Of course," Nick replied. "If any Heartless jump us, I'll just sic our new summon on them."

"Good to know," Tatsumaki laughed before flying off like a lightning bolt towards the site of the monster attack.

"She's _awesome_ ," Maylin giggled, stars twinkling in her eyes.

"Well, of course she is," Haruka answered. "You practically _felt_ how strong she is whenever Nick summoned her, remember?"

"While this is... well, nice and all, shouldn't we be looking for the keyhole while we're here?" Nick quipped.

"Oh, crap, I almost forgot about that!" Maylin shouted.

"Man, we keep getting distracted, don't we?" Haruka laughed.

"Hey, if we can help people on the way, it's worth it to get a little distracted," Nick teased, remembering how they'd assisted Mei at Watchpoint Antarctica.

As the trio rushed off to scour City Z for the keyhole, they just missed the figure watching them from behind a nearby fountain.

"Is that... is that them? Wow, they're so strong..."

* * *

Eventually, the trio's travels took them all the way to the center of the city, where a Godzilla-sized monster was stomping around, aiming its fire breath at Tatsumaki, who simply flew through the bursts with ease to attack the monster.

"Holy _crap_ , that thing is massive," Maylin gasped. "I hope we never have to fight something like that again. Izanami-no-Mikoto was _enough_ when it comes to kaiju."

Nick was about to respond, but immediately summoned the Kingdom Key when a horde of Heartless spawned all around them, most of them being Large Bodies and Bandits with the occasional Lance Knight and Gargoyle Knight.

"Oh, lordy, now they're _mixing_?!" Maylin exclaimed. "How do we deal?"

"Simple," Nick quipped, bringing out the Dragon Charm that Ventus had given him. "We summon our new buddy and waste them all."

"I like the way you think!" Maylin laughed as Nick concentrated his powers on the Dragon Charm, causing Maylin and Haruka to disappear.

The Heartless seemed to sense the power that was about to erupt, as several of the Large Bodies backed away.

 **("Id ~ Purpose" by Hiroki Morishita plays)**

Nick held the Dragon Charm to the sky, and glowing green wings of light burst from either side of the charm, eventually wrapping around it in a cocoon-like fashion. A few seconds passed before the wings opened up, revealing a girl seemingly no older than Nick with long mint-green hair and purple eyes, along with a rather revealing dress that Nick honestly didn't believe fit someone so young.

Despite this, Nick could feel the strong magical aura she radiated, making him realize that this girl was probably one of those "far older than their appearance suggests" kind of people.

One of the Bandits leaped for the girl, only for her to quickly raise her hand and blast it to dust with a powerful burst of fire.

"Yeah! Don't even _think_ of messing with Nowi!" the girl shouted, floating over to Nick's side and adopting a battle stance.

Nick nodded to his new ally, and together they charged the horde.

A pair of Large Bodies attempted a pincer attack, but Nowi stopped their charge cold with a double lightning bolt attack that dropped both of the Large Bodies, giving Nick ample time to circle around to their backsides and finish them both off with a double swing.

One of the Lance Knights decided to attack Nowi herself, but she stopped it cold with a spiral of fire around her, forcing the Lance Knight backwards so that Nick could split it in half with a flying Blitz attack.

A Gargoyle Knight lunged with its weapon, only for Nick to block it before it could even touch Nowi, then counter its swing enough so that it froze up and allowed Nick to release the Possessor within, instantly crumbling the Gargoyle Knight.

Nowi floated around the Heartless that were still spawning in, dropping spheres of fire and powerful lightning bolts to vaporize them by the dozens.

"Yeah, _that's_ how we do it!" Nowi giggled.

But, just when it seemed to be over, more enemies spawned in, this time being a pack of Nobodies, including many Creepers, Dusks, and Assassins.

"Oh, great, now we have to deal with _Nobodies_ ," Nick groaned, switching his keyblade to Absolute Sword. "Why does my luck absolutely _blow_?!"

"No worries! We'll stomp 'em all flat!" Nowi proclaimed, surrounding herself with green light shaped like dragon's wings. When the wing cocoon opened again, she had transformed into her Manakete form, a large, neon-green dragon with feathery wings. Nowi gestured her head to Nick, and he got the message quickly, jumping onto Nowi's back and holding on as she barreled towards the swarm of Nobodies.

Nowi simply swiped at any Nobodies that dared get close to her, breathing fire to get rid of any long-range pests while Nick played fire support, blasting at Dusks and Creepers with spells from far away.

After a few more rounds of this magical assault, both Nick and Nowi silently agreed it was time to end this battle. Nowi concentrated her magical powers, surrounding her dragon body with flashes of fire and electricity, while Nick channeled his ice and water powers.

As more Nobodies closed in on them, Nick and Nowi unleashed their maelstrom of elemental might in the form of a four-element shockwave that spread out from them at the speed of lightning, instantly vaporizing the horde upon contact.

Once the field was clear, Nowi transformed back to normal, smiling brightly at Nick. "That was fun, huh?" Nowi giggled.

"Always cool to see what we can accomplish," Nick replied.

Nowi spun around and leaped up to kiss Nick on the cheek before returning to the Dragon Charm in a flash of light.

"She seems so young, despite how powerful she is," Haruka stated once she and Maylin had returned. "I can't imagine what she might be feeling about losing her world."

"Here's hoping we can find it and get it back soon," Maylin admitted.

A loud explosion caught the trio's attention, and they looked up just in time to see the kaiju that Tatsumaki had been fighting explode into many, _many_ chunks after a vortex of psychic energy ripped it apart.

"Well, she's done with _that_ thing," Maylin giggled.

"Even kaiju fall before her might," Haruka stated.

Once the battlefield was calm again, Tatsumaki darted back to where the trio was watching, smirking slightly as she did.

"I noticed you're impressed," Tatsumaki stated quite clearly.

"It's like you surprise me more with every time I see you," Nick admitted. "I mean, I know how powerful you are, but it seemed like being stuck in that summon jewel might have limited your powers in a way. Now that you're back and going all out, I'm honestly amazed."

"Have you found this keyhole of yours yet?" Tatsumaki asked.

"No luck yet," Nick answered. "It should be around here somewhere. It usually shows up somewhere that's important to this world."

"Maybe it would be somewhere around the Hero Association?" Tatsumaki quipped.

"Worth a shot," Nick realized.

"I'll provide the transportation," Tatsumaki stated, raising her hands and covering the trio in her psychic hold, allowing them to float into the air with her as she flew off towards the Hero Association building that could be seen far off in the distance, a gigantic tower of black steel.

"This is AWESOME!" Maylin shouted, doing twirls through the air.

"It really feels wonderful to be able to fly, even when its only because of psychic assistance," Haruka quipped. "So let's enjoy the ride!"

Tatsumaki allowed a brief smile at her comrades' antics, but tensed up when she sensed something approaching extremely fast.

Suddenly grinding to a halt, Tatsumaki quickly raised her hands and summoned a psychic barrier, just in time for a large, wyvern-like Heartless to crash into it.

This new Heartless was a large, draconian creature with predominantly brown skin, a tan belly, and black shoulders, feet, and tail tip. It had a rather thin body, but large, three-toed feet, each sporting orange talons. It also had rather short and bulky wings when compared to its feet and tail, which ended in a large, misshapen club with three conical, orange spikes on it.

"What the hell is _this_ thing?" Tatsumaki wondered.

"Oh, fan-freaking-tastic, it's a _Dustflier_ ," Maylin groaned.

"A _Dustflier?!_ " Haruka exclaimed.

"Is this one a tricky customer?" Nick wondered, summoning Fairy Stars to his hands.

"Ooh, I _hate_ these stubborn things," Maylin growled, quickly summoning Counterpoint. "Let's take this thing out _now_."

"Can you keep us aloft, Tatsu?" Haruka asked, summoning Rumbling Rose.

"Not a problem at all," Tatsumaki answered. "Just do your thing, okay?"

"With gusto," Nick proclaimed, dashing forward and attacking the Dustflier with an overhead swing. Haruka followed up with a horizontal strike, and Maylin finished up the triple attack with a point-blank Magic Hour.

However, this barely seemed to do anything to the Dustflier, as it simply flew away and aimed an attack for Tatsumaki.

"Oh, sorry, but that's not working today," Tatsumaki taunted, unleashing a quick flare of psychic energy to drive the Dustflier away from her. Undaunted, the Dustflier soared around before dashing like lightning towards Nick.

Nick simply stood his, well, 'ground', ready for whatever this thing would pull. When the Dustflier pulled a u-turn and aimed its claws for him, Nick simply cast Reflect to block the strike before blasting it in the face with a point-blank Thunder spell.

Maylin followed up with a Thundaga spell, raining lightning bolts down on the Dustflier's back. But still, the creature would not stay down.

While the Dustflier was stunned from Maylin's Thundaga spell, Nick flew in to waylay the Dustflier with an Ars Arcanum, putting as much brute force as he could into each strike.

Sadly, it once again didn't seem to do much to the Dustflier.

"I see what you mean about stubborn," Nick quipped. "This freak just _refuses_ to die!"

"All right, I'm busting out the big guns," Maylin proclaimed, switching to Stormfall and raising it to the sky. _"Style Change, Spellweaver!"_

When the light died down, Maylin was surrounded by a radiant white glow. Even her eyes were twinkling with the light of a star. Stormfall was floating by her right hand, being telekinetically controlled by Maylin with this new power of hers.

"Let's see how you like _this_ , wacko!" Maylin exclaimed flashing forward to attack, swinging Stormfall in wide, sweeping strikes, her keyblade spinning around as it slashed through the air. After about four strikes, Maylin aimed Stormfall straight for the Dustflier and fired off a bright burst of magic from its tip, the blast driving the Dustflier back.

Not wasting any time, Maylin dashed forward after the Dustflier. Energy began to gather around Stormfall, and Maylin began to spin around like a ballet dancer, spirals of light surrounding her as she did so and lifting the Dustflier higher into the air with each hit.

After about seven straight seconds of spinning, Maylin finished with a swift flourish of Stormfall that created a large ice crystal above her, which instantly shattered and created a shockwave that blasted the Dustflier into a tumble.

Finally, damage seemed to be showing on the beast, even if it stubbornly refused to die. The Dustflier began darting around, almost too fast for any of them to keep track.

"Damn it, stop flash-stepping so I can grab you and rip you apart!" Tatsumaki exclaimed, trying and failing to aim her psychic grip for the Dustflier due to how fast it was flying.

An idea popped up in Nick's head, and he flew over to Tatsumaki.

"I think I've got a plan here, if you'll let me," Nick offered. Tatsumaki just nodded, even if she gasped in apparent shock as Nick let his hand rest gently on her head.

" _Harmonization Ready!"_ Nick shouted, a silver ring of light surrounding him and Tatsumaki before shattering a few seconds later. The Dustflier charged both of them, sensing a vulnerability.

"I don't think so!" Nick and Tatsumaki shouted together, raising their free hands in unison and catching the Dustflier in a double psychic grip, freezing it completely where it was floating.

"All right, you two, do the honors!" Nick shouted.

"Roger that! LET'S RIOT!" Maylin exclaimed, producing a super spell coin. _"Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! BIZZAJA!"_

A large cloud of extremely sharp icicles surrounded the Dustflier, as did five large and spiky ice crystals. The ice crystals attacked first, ping-ponging all over the Dustflier and doing large amounts of damage, followed by the cloud of icicles, all attacking at once. While this was happening, four blocks of ice appeared around the Dustflier. Before it could even comprehend what was about to happen, the blocks erupted into four gigantic stalactites of ice, each one piercing through the Dustflier's body and finally, _finally_ finishing it off.

The Dustflier went into a tailspin downward even as it evaporated, leaving only a large energy heart that quickly vanished.

"YES! Suck on _that_ , flyboy!" Maylin shouted.

"I didn't know you could copy superpowers like that," Tatsumaki quipped. "You never did that when I was a summon."

"Hehehe, well, it's only because it's something I learned recently," Nick stated. "What I did there is something I call a 'Harmonization', where I basically copy the power of someone in the world I'm in for a short time. And, well, sorry if I freaked you out when I touched your head, but I gotta touch someone to be able to harmonize with them."

"I'm used to people touching my shoulder, but not my head," Tatsumaki replied..

"Well, I'm pretty affectionate to people I consider my friends," Nick admitted.

This statement seemed to surprise Tatsumaki in a way. "I'm... your friend?" Tatsumaki asked. After her horrid childhood, she had told herself that no one would ever come and save her, much like what Blast had said to her, and that she should be strong enough to save herself. This was why she normally hated the idea of friendship. But she was starting to realize some things about her attitude needed to be changed, especially after her time stuck in the Psyemerald as one of Nick's summons.

Despite her initial views of friendship being little more than a burden, Tatsumaki had been forced to admit that, in truth, she simply didn't want to be alone.

"Is that okay with you, Tatsu? Or did I... cross a line or something?" Nick wondered.

"No, no! I... I just..."

Tatsumaki sighed, then floated over and hugged Nick.

"I... could use some more of those."

Haruka and Maylin just smiled at the beautiful friendship moment.

"How _does_ he do it?" Haruka quipped.

"He's got charisma, obviously," Maylin giggled. "How do you think _I_ fell in love with him?"

"Because he's a good kid," Haruka responded. "Always has been as long as we've known him."

Once the moment had passed, the four heroes continued their flight to the Hero Association building.

"Hey, that wasn't there before," Tatsumaki proclaimed, pointing towards the building. Sure enough, streaks of light were forming into the keyhole they had been searching for, displayed proudly on the front of the building.

"Isn't that convenient?" Maylin giggled. "It shows up just as we get there."

"Maybe it reacts to any keyblade wielders that approach it," Haruka wondered. "That's always been a theory of mine."

Nick summoned the Kingdom Key to his hands and aimed it for the keyhole, firing a beam of light from the tip that flew towards the keyhole with lightning speed and locked it off with a loud click.

"That's another one down," Haruka stated. "We're rolling, all right."

"So, that's all you have to do?" Tatsumaki wondered. "Just lock up that keyhole and this world's all right?"

"Yep," Nick replied. "The keyhole is how the Heartless get to the heart of a world. We lock the only door, and they can't destroy that world anymore."

"Sounds simple," Tatsumaki quipped. "Well, they're probably wondering just what the hell that was down there, so I'd better go and report before they lose their minds."

Tatsumaki reached into a pocket of her dress and produced a small charm, shaped like a much-less detailed version of her face, and handed it off to Nick. "A small thanks for helping out. You could probably use it more than I can," Tatsumaki admitted.

"Don't I know it," Nick stated as he accepted the charm and attached it to the Kingdom Key's chain. The keyblade it transformed into had a short, light green handle and a diamond-shaped, black guard, the top of which was decorated by two bright green teardrop shapes. The tip and base of the shaft were white, while the center is dark green, lined by three diamond-shaped gaps and black, concave edges. The head of the blade is silver, and the teeth are comprised of three large emerald-green teardrop shaped spikes with black edges and a shining green "burst" effect from the top of the spikes. The entire keyblade was surrounded by a soft green glow, obviously meant to emulate Tatsumaki's psychic power. As Nick studied the weapon, the words _Psychic Punch_ came to Nick's mind.

"Well, I'll see you guys around," Tatsumaki stated. "If you ever need my help, just send me a thought and I'll be there to kick some ass."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Maylin giggled as Tatsumaki floated down to the ground to let the trio land on safe footing before flying off like a bullet to the Hero Association.

"Well, that was fun, huh?" Haruka quipped. "Always nice to revisit a friend."

"One thing, though, girls," Nick stated. "We haven't found a gate to open yet."

"Oh, jeez, you're right!" Maylin exclaimed. "We usually opened a gate right after finding the keyhole!"

"Which means we might still have work to do here," Haruka replied. "Let's see if we can find anything."

"Um... excuse me?"

Nick was debating on whether or not to raise his keyblade in defense, but the voice that had just addressed them sounded kind of shy, and he didn't want to unintentionally scare anyone off, so he let Psychic Punch disappear for the moment as he turned around to face his addresser.

She was a girl about his age, with long orange-red hair that framed her face, with her bangs falling over her forehead and past her eyebrows and the rest of her hair tied back in two long pigtails. that reach past her waist on either side of her head. This girl also had fair skin and light blue eyes, and was wearing a white dress with black straps that fell over her shoulders and tied together in a bow on the front, with matching sleeves on both of her arms, and white pants with grey boots.

"Can we... help you?" Maylin tentatively asked the girl.

"Eep!" the girl squeaked, instantly backing a few steps away.

"Easy, easy," Haruka stated. "We mean you no harm, promise."

"Do you have a name, stranger?" Maylin quipped.

"My... my name is Strelitzia," the girl answered. "I hope you don't think I'm creepy or anything by saying this, but... I've been following you for a while, to all the worlds you've been to. I-I'm not a stalker, in case you were wondering! I-I was just... I just wanted to see you in action, and... well..."

Strelitzia blushed like mad before continuing. "You're all so amazing... so much stronger than even I could have believed... I wanted to talk to you for quite a while, but I... I didn't know if I could get that chance... I didn't want you to think I'm weird or anything..."

"Well, trust me, Strelitzia, when you've seen all the crazy crap that _we've_ seen, not much really registers as _weird_ anymore," Nick admitted.

"T-that's good..." Strelitzia sighed. "Hey, before you leave to go back on your quest, I-I wanted to a-ask you something."

"What is it?" Nick wondered.

"Would you... by any chance, like to have... a d-d-duel with me?"

That had been an unexpected request, one which had all three keyblade wielders stunned into silence.

"I-I just want to see how strong you are _personally_!" Strelitzia babbled. "I figured the best way to do that was to ask you for a duel..."

"If you've been following us, then you know how strong we are," Nick replied. "I'm worried I might hurt you or something..."

"I can hold my own," Strelitzia responded. "You don't have to worry about little old me."

Surprising all of them, Strelitzia flicked her right hand out and summoned a keyblade. This keyblade had a light grey handle, and its pommel and guard resembled a silvery blue bough bursting with leaves. The guard was asymmetrical, with an opening on the side of the teeth. The base of the keyblade featured an etching of a silver, blue-eyed cobra whose tail was curled into an infinity helix shape. The shaft was formed by a bluish silver, jagged, kris-like blade with a wide, darkened middle, which is etched with a cream-colored ivy design. Curved, leafy boughs serve as the keyblade's teeth, and the keychain was comprised of small, silver sprigs, and its token was a leafed, silver talisman.

"Man, this adventure just keeps on surprising us, doesn't it?" Maylin quipped.

Nick just stood there for a second, the sight of Strelitzia's keyblade causing something in his mind to emerge.

 _Wait, what the hell?_ Nick thought. _What's this feeling? Why does it seem like... I've seen that keyblade before? ...hold on, that can't be right. I've only known what keyblades_ _ **are**_ _for about a year now!_

"Um... please don't hold back, okay?" Strelitzia asked. "H-Here I come!"

Nick was completely unsure how to handle what happened next. His first impressions of Strelitzia made her out to be a very shy girl, sorta timid even though he knew she held a will of steel under that façade. After all, Marie had been the same way when she was younger.

So, with that impression in mind, Nick was completely unprepared for Strelitzia to launch herself like a rocket straight for him, swinging her keyblade, Anguis, with such fierce swiftness that Nick barely even had any time to parry the attack, let alone think of a defensive strategy.

"Holy _hell_ , that was fast!" Maylin exclaimed.

Nick quickly raised Psychic Punch and pushed Strelitzia back, only for her to jump right back into the fray with a swift three-swing combo that Nick just barely managed to parry. Just as Nick was recovering from his defense, Strelitzia lunged back with an overhead swing that sent Nick sprawling.

Nick went into a roll to minimize the damage before leaping through the air, hoping to catch Strelitzia off guard with an aerial swing, only to find that option swiftly neutralized when Strelitzia swung Anguis upwards, knocking him off balance enough for her to leap after him and perform an overhead slash that spiked Nick back to the ground.

"Wow, it's almost like she's a different person when she has that keyblade," Haruka quipped. "But... I could _swear_ I've seen that keyblade somewhere before..."

Nick made it a point to leap to his feet and jump away as Strelitzia charged for his position, deciding it was time to get serious. Nick switched back to the Kingdom Key and held it into the sky, wrenching his hands out to split it into two identical copies that quickly transformed into Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

"All right, now we're getting somewhere," Nick quipped before rushing in to meet Strelitzia's latest strike. The two clashed for a few seconds, each parrying and defending before striking back in equal measure.

After blocking a particularly vicious stab attack, Nick jumped over Strelitzia, firing off Thunder spells from both of his keyblades straight down, causing an electric explosion that momentarily staggered Strelitzia.

Nick took advantage of this chance and went to town, attacking with a left slash with Oathkeeper, then a right slash with Oblivion, followed by a spinning attack with both keyblades. Nick continued his attack with a double upward slash followed by a downward angled double slash, then finished the combo by thrusting both keyblades forward in a stabbing motion, followed by a double uppercut that launched Strelitzia into the air. Wasting no time, Nick leaped into the air after her and continued his attack, starting with a wide slash from Oathkeeper, a stiff right cross from Oblivion, then a pirouette with keyblades extended, and finished with a somersaulting spin slash.

Strelitzia dropped back to the ground, balancing herself on Anguis. "O-okay... I know when I've lost... you're really strong, you know that?"

"I've been told that a lot," Nick quipped once he'd landed on the ground, letting Oathkeeper and Oblivion vanish and re-summoning the Kingdom Key. "You completely blew my expectations out of the water, Strelitzia. No way in _hell_ did I expect you to come at me like that."

"W-Well... if we meet again in the future..." Strelitzia gasped. "I hope I can keep surprising you..."

Nick raised the Kingdom Key and cast Curaga on Strelitzia, fully healing her.

"Well, I should probably get going now," Strelitzia stated, letting her own keyblade disappear. "I do have some things to do, after all."

"Wait!" Maylin exclaimed. "Will we see you again?"

"You just may," Strelitzia giggled. "I want to see you grow stronger, so hopefully you can stop the darkness that's growing closer."

Strelitzia reached into her pocket and pulled out a small crystal orb so she could toss it over to Nick. "Here, take this. You'll probably find more use for it than I would," Strelitzia proclaimed before raising her hand and summoning a highly-decorated book.

"And... Nick?" Strelitzia asked, once again surprising Nick, as he was pretty sure he'd never told her his name. "I hope you remember soon."

Before Nick could ask what that meant, Strelitzia opened the book and flipped through its pages before chanting a spell to warp away in a flash of pink light.

"Wow, she has a spellbook, too?" Maylin quipped. "How about that..."

"Hey, Nick?" Haruka asked. "What did she mean by 'remember soon'?"

Nick looked up at the sky, still pondering that exact question. "Wish I could tell you, Haruka..."

Nick recoiled in surprise as the orb he'd been given began to glow with a bright light, though he quickly recovered enough to hold the Kingdom Key aloft.

Energy began to gather around Kingdom Key's teeth, before eventually absorbing into the ground below Nick and creating the shape of a crown under his feet. As wind began to swirl around Nick's body as he channeled his power, the glow surrounding the crystal created a wave of light that eventually formed into a large keyhole in the sky.

Nick jumped back, spinning Kingdom Key a few times before aiming and firing a beam of light from the keyblade into the keyhole. Reality seemed to shatter in a large circle around the keyhole, lines of light flowing into it before creating a bright flare that caused the keyhole to disappear.

"And _there_ we go," Maylin proclaimed. " _Now_ we can move on."

But as Haruka activated the teleporters, she couldn't stop thinking about what she'd seen on Strelitzia's book. There was no way that was possible, right?

* * *

"And world clear!" Maylin exclaimed. "Shall we move on to the next one, buddies?"

"Hold on just a second," Haruka replied even as she began to pilot the Gummi Ship through the Lanes Between in search of the next world that needed their help. "I saw something strange about Strelitzia's book, and, well... Maylin, please don't think I'm crazy or anything..."

"Hey, we're all a little crazy in our own ways, aren't we?" Maylin admitted. "Let's hear it."

"...I think Strelitzia was carrying a Book of Prophecies."

Maylin's jaw nearly hit the floor when Haruka uttered those three words that the young mage never thought she'd hear again.

"Wait, I thought those things had all been destroyed!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Um, could I maybe get an explanation?" Nick asked. "What's a Prophecy Book or whatever?"

"The Book of Prophecies is an ancient tome that, according to legends, can actually see the future by transcribing its events in their pages," Haruka explained.

"Eons ago, before Izanami-no-Mikoto's reign of terror, five extremely powerful keyblade wielders, the Foretellers, were given a copy of the Book of Prophecies to foresee the future and hopefully prevent a war," Maylin continued.

Nick easily caught Maylin's inflection on that last part. "I assume something in that went horribly wrong?"

"Good to see you still catch on quickly," Maylin giggled. "The Book of Prophecies actually ended with a pretty damning warning: 'The fated land will be the battleground for a great war. Light will see defeat and expire, while darkness prevails evermore.'"

"And I'm also assuming that the darkness in question was Izanami-no-Mikoto?" Nick asked.

"Nailed it again, buddy," Maylin proclaimed.

"The Foretellers each created Unions of fellow keyblade wielders in order to gather enough light to oppose the darkness they knew was coming, in hopes of preventing that awful future from coming to pass," Haruka continued. "But... something went wrong."

"Distrust started spreading among the Foretellers, simply due to the fact that one of them had apparently been accused of being a traitor," Maylin stated. "In the end, one of the Foretellers was struck down by her own comrade, having fallen to darkness in his hopes of eliminating the traitor. This, if I remember correctly, was actually the event that gave Izanami-no-Mikoto the jumpstart she needed to grow in power and conquer that world."

"In essence, the Foretellers actually ended up _causing_ the very war they had hoped to avert with their knowledge of the future," Haruka continued. "That was when the remaining Foretellers decided to destroy their books so that nothing like this would ever come to pass again."

"Which begs the question of why Strelitzia has a Book of Prophecies if they were all supposed to be destroyed," Maylin quipped. "I mean, jeez, how many mysteries do we need to solve before this crazy quest's over?!"

"I guess all we can do is keep going until we find some answers," Nick replied as he felt the Gummi Ship stop in front of what was most likely their next destination.

The world in question was represented by a large tree of seemingly divine nature, though it more resembled a normal tree than the spiraling and twisting towers of ALfheim's World Tree. To the far right of the tree was a castle no doubt representing a medieval capital city.

No one said anything as they entered the connection route, still lost in thought about what Strelitzia's possession of a Book of Prophecies meant.

Nick was curious about if it had something to do with the future where Lily had come from, where he had died to protect his future daughter. Maybe Strelitzia was trying to prevent that future in her own way, much like Lily was doing now.

And stranger still, Nick's thoughts would turn to Anguis, the keyblade that Strelitzia had wielded. An odd, extremely fuzzy memory had jumped into his mind when he'd seen the keyblade.

What exactly did it mean?

Despite all his musings about the future (time travel _was_ a cornucopia of disturbing concepts, after all), Nick decided to just take it by ear as their journey continued.

He knew they'd find their answers soon enough. They always did.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New Harmonization acquired!_

 **Telekinetic Tornado  
** _Drive Gauge Points Needed:_ **3  
** _Purpose:_ Tap into Tatsumaki's psychic power to snag enemies, move objects, and solve puzzles in inventive ways.

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Psychic Punch  
** _Strength:_ **14**  
 _Magic:_ **7**  
 _Ability:_ **Critical Plus**  
 _Description:_ A keyblade representing the immense strength of the world's most powerful psychic hero. A powerful weapon, capable of inflicting devastating critical blows and increasing critical hit chances by 50%.

* * *

 _New summon acquired!_

 **Nowi, the Eternal Youth  
** _Drive Gauge Points Needed:_ **3  
** _Purpose:_ Draw enemies to one place for easier battles, and attack with wide-range elemental bursts of fire and lightning and other spells. When in Manakete form, trades elemental power for immense physical strength and devastating combo attack.  
 _Limit Attack:_ **Vortex Breath** , where Nowi uses her dragon breath to draw in nearby enemies and keep them bound to one spot for Nick to attack easily.  
 _Charge Gauge_ : For every Heartless or Nobody killed, the Charge Gauge fills 1/6th to allow Nowi to transform into her Manakete form. When in Manakete form, for every Heartless or Nobody killed, the Charge Gauge fills 1/6th to allow usage of Nowi's finishing move.  
 _Finishing Move:_ **Elemental Maelstrom** , when the Charge Gauge is full in Nowi's Manakete form, unleash all of Nowi's elemental powers at once in a great burst of magic that destroys all enemies on screen at once.

* * *

On the next episode:

Nick: Oh, this doesn't look pleasant. This world's at _war_ , apparently.

Maylin: After just talking about a war, I don't think this bodes well, does it?

Haruka: Well, how about we go down there and see what's up?

Tiki: Strange ones from another land...

Maylin: Hey, another girl that can turn into a dragon like Nowi! Maybe this is her home world?

Haruka: Wait, I'm confused.

Tiki: Though you radiate brilliant light, I can also sense a great darkness from within you. What is this strange power of yours?

Maylin: N-Nick? You okay?

Nick: W-what... what's happening to me?! Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "The Voice of Naga"!

Nick, Maylin, & Haruka: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	8. The Voice of Naga

Lissa couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size of the Mila Tree, supposedly where the Voice of the Divine Dragon rested. "Wowie... I honestly don't think I've ever felt so small before..." Lissa gasped.

"It's so gigantic that I can't even see the top of it!" Basilio proclaimed, trying in vain to see the top of the tree, with obviously no such luck.

"Quite impressive, if I do say so myself," Frederick admitted. "So, Say'ri, the shrine is hidden all the way up between the tree's branches?"

Say'ri nodded, readying herself for the battle she knew was to come. "Aye, sir. A great staircase inside of the trunk will lead us to it. The problem is, the empire has blocked off the only route to the steps, or shall I say the 'roots' to the steps."

That didn't discourage Chrom at all, as he raised the Falchion to rally the troops. "Then we'll simply break through the barricade. Come, Shepherds, let's go!"

As the Shepherds marched towards their destination, the shade created by the branches of the Mila Tree concealed the opening of a corridor of darkness.

After a few seconds, a figure stepped out of the corridor and watched at it closed behind her. The shade then lifted to reveal the figure as Larxene, the Savage Nymph and rank twelve in Organization XIII.

"Honestly, why am I _always_ the one assigned to these stranger worlds?" Larxene groaned. "Usually, we'd send Demyx to do _that_ kind of grunt work, but he got toasted by those keyblade brats, so of _course_ they'd shovel that work off to me."

Despite her groaning, Larxene smiled sadistically. "Despite that, I just _know_ I'm going to have some fun here. If I know those brats, they'll probably be along any time now, and then we can _really_ shake things up."

Larxene concentrated and summoned her weapon with a flourish of electricity, a set of throwing knives she called Foudre.

"I wonder if that divine dragon chick is really up there... ooh, it'll be my _pleasure_ to watch her scream in agony..."

Larxene laughed like a madman for a few seconds before composing herself. "Maybe Saix was right. Maybe I _am_ a bitch. Eh, that just makes it more fun for me."

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** With two nations at war with each other, our trio will really have their work cut out for them today, finding themselves assisting the Shepherds, the army of Ylisse, against a greedy general who blocks the only way to the Mila Tree where the Voice of the Divine Dragon Naga rests. Not only does Cervantes stand in their way, but also a rather sadistic member of Organization XIII and even Nick's own inner shadows. Can the Shepherds protect the Voice of Naga, and can Nick manage to fight off the darkness that threatens to consume him?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World:** All right, this time we're going to Intelligent Systems' _Fire Emblem Awakening_ , specifically during chapter 16 of the game, "Naga's Voice".

 **EDIT 5/30/18:** General fixes, and an added scene with Nick's summons.

* * *

Episode 8: The Voice of Naga

"I don't see anything yet..." Lissa noted. She had her staff out and ready to zap any undesirables if need be. "It's honestly hard to see with all this shade around here..."

"Keep your eyes open," Lucina responded. "Trouble could be around any corner."

Lissa had definitely learned _that_ lesson well after their last mission, even if she'd blasted that Risen away in no time. Chrom was never going to let her live _that_ down, it seemed.

"Wait, I see something over yonder," Robin proclaimed, gesturing to the far southwest of their current position.

"Is it the enemy?" Say'ri proclaimed, tensing up immediately.

"Not sure," Robin answered. He had his Arcthunder tome out, just in case. "They don't look like any Risen I've ever seen."

The strange shadow continued to stalk closer to the Shepherds, and now Robin could make out the figure in question, a small person with dark brown skin and glowing yellow eyes. It seemed to be wearing a white balaclava over its head, orange bracelets, a flat yellow hat, and an orange cape. The thing that caused Robin to prepare himself for a fight was the two crescent-shaped scimitars it was wielding.

Robin spun around, ready to fire off an Arcthunder, but the Luna Bandit was quicker on the draw, swinging its scimitars and knocking the tome away just as more Luna Bandits and Large Bodies began to spawn.

"What manner of monsters are _these_?!" Chrom shouted, unsheathing the Falchion and rushing in to cut down one of the Luna Bandits.

"I couldn't tell you," Lucina replied, swinging the Parallel Falchion to slice another Luna Bandit in half, then performing a jumping Aether to strike down a Large Body. "I never ran into monsters like this in my time..."

Lissa stood her ground as a Large Body marched toward her, then at just the right moment, she cast Elwind on the Large Body, sending two large crescent-shaped wind blades directly into its bulky body, disintegrating it instantly.

"YES! Just like Robin taught me!" Lissa exclaimed, brushing some specks of darkness off of her Sage robes, the same ones that Emmeryn had once worn. _I know you'd be proud of me, Emm,_ Lissa thought. Her thoughts were stopped when she was knocked down by a Nightwalker that had spawned behind her.

"You little... so help me, you little sneak, I'll show you who's _delicate_!" Lissa growled, raising her staff and casting a powerful Arcfire spell, obliterating the Nightwalker in one shot.

Lissa proudly hefted her staff, only to be blasted back to the ground by a magical burst from a Bookmaster, allowing at least seven Nightwalkers to surround her.

"Oh, this isn't good," Lissa groaned, reaching for her staff only for a Nightwalker to swing its large claws and knock it away from her.

Chrom noticed this, attempting to rescue Lissa only for another Luna Bandit to leap through the air and strike him down with an overhead slash. All Chrom could do was scream his sister's name in terror as the Nightwalkers swarming her went to strike.

A strange sound caught everyone's attention, sounding like something spinning through the air. And it was getting closer.

Just as one of the Nightwalkers attempted to kill Lissa, it was met with the business end of a strange, key-shaped weapon that came flying out from seemingly nowhere. The odd weapon circled around Lissa, destroying the Nightwalkers one by one until it flew into the air above Lucina.

As Lucina parried another strike from a Luna Bandit, she heard footsteps approaching her from behind. Before she could defend herself, however, the figure in question jumped into the air and leapfrogged off of her shoulders, leaving Lucina to stare upwards in honest confusion.

Nick called the Kingdom Key back to his hands as he jumped and then shot back down to the ground at a diagonal angle, slashing through a Luna Bandit that had been dancing away from Say'ri.

"Evasive little buggers," Nick quipped, switching to Psychic Punch as more Luna Bandits continued to spawn.

Lissa took this opportunity to retrieve her staff and face down the Bookmaster, ready to take some revenge on it, only for Haruka to slide in and steal the kill with her patented Diagonal Blade Dance, a trio of angled slashes that ended with an upwards slice.

"Hey! I could have handled it!" Lissa proclaimed.

"These ones are immune to magic," Haruka explained, causing Lissa to calm down. "Believe me, we've tried."

As Chrom picked himself up, he prepared to attack the Luna Bandits that were surrounding him, only for them to all be wiped out by a barrage of lightning bolts.

"Ugh, I'm glad these things are wimps to magic," Maylin groaned. "I HATE Luna Bandits!"

"Yeah, these things are annoying," Haruka explained to Nick. "Luna Bandits are fast and powerful with those crescent blades of theirs, but if you can get them to stop swinging like madmen, they'll be wide open. They also really don't like magic, as Maylin just demonstrated."

"Can we please just mop these freaks up before more start coming?" Maylin quipped, blasting through two Large Bodies with a powerful Blizzaga spell. "I'm already sick of _these_ guys!"

"Let's clean house, then," Haruka giggled, taking Nick's free hand so they could unite into Valor Form and, as Haruka had often said, 'commence with the beatdowns'.

And commence with the beatdowns they did, as Valor Form Nick rushed into the fray, dual-wielding Psychic Punch and Processor Unit to tear down Luna Bandits left and right while Maylin threw spell after spell to deal with the remaining Large Bodies.

Once the horde was finally defeated, Maylin caught the eye of the Bookmaster that had knocked down Lissa attempting to do it again. Maylin simply leaped over to it and blasted it out of existence with Magic Hour.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Maylin quipped as Nick and Haruka separated.

"Is everyone all right?" Nick asked once everything was calm again.

"I... I think so," Lissa replied. "I'll go heal everyone who got injured!"

"What nightmares were _they_?!" Robin exclaimed.

"Those were the Heartless, monsters born of the darkness in people's hearts," Haruka stated as Maylin dashed off to assist Lissa in healing the injured troops. "Probably a little more troublesome than the risen dead, honestly."

"Yeah, we had to deal with zombies, _actual_ zombies, a while ago," Maylin admitted as she cast Curaga on another injured Shepherd. "One of them was adorable and actually wanted to help us. The others, yeah, not so much."

"Gregor hope Heartless return so Gregor can smash," Gregor admitted, pounding his fists together.

" _Gregor?! Is that you?!"_

Gregor perked up upon hearing Nowi's voice. "Nowi? Where is voice coming from?"

" _I'm down here, Gregor!"_ Nowi exclaimed, her voice echoing, no doubt due to the Dragon Charm she was currently resting in.

"Nowi, what are you doing in necklace?" Gregor wondered.

"Wait, wait, Nowi, this is _your_ world?" Nick asked, bringing out the Dragon Charm. "I thought it had been destroyed or something!"

"Yeah, why else would she be stuck in a summon charm?" Maylin asked.

"Maybe she just hadn't been able to get home when it happened," Haruka replied. "Remember, all of the worlds that had been lost to the darkness were restored when we defeated Izanami-no-Mikoto."

"Is there any way we can let you out, Nowi?" Maylin wondered.

Nick tossed the Dragon Charm into the air, where it stopped and floated in place as Nick raised the Kingdom Key. A bright keyhole appeared on the charm's jewel and Nick fired a beam of light into it, a loud "CLICK" resounding as the charm came apart and released Nowi.

"Yeah, boys and girls, Nowi is _back_!" Nowi exclaimed.

"I'm so glad to see you're doing all right, Nowi," Robin proclaimed. "Your daughter was worried sick about you ever since you disappeared."

"I'm fine, though, don't worry," Nowi giggled. "I got to kick some Heartless butt with my new buddy on the way home! And I'm _still_ ready to kick some!"

Once all the Shepherds were fully mended, Chrom walked up to Nick. "Then, how about the three of you join us for this mission? Your experience against these creatures would greatly help if we were to run into them again."

"That's pretty much why we're here," Nick laughed.

"Wait, wait," Lucina quipped, staring pointedly at Nick's keyblade as if she'd just realized something important that had taken a few seconds to register. "You three are keyblade wielders?!"

"How much do you know, Lucina?" Haruka asked.

"In my time, a few keyblade wielders were among the ones that were slaughtered by Grima," Lucina explained. "If there are still keyblade wielders in this time now, then there might just be a new spark of hope left..."

"Was it that bad?" Maylin wondered. "I mean, keyblade wielders are usually pretty tough. It'd take some _serious_ heat to knock someone like us off!"

"Grima is unlike any darkness I have ever seen in my life," Lucina stated. All three keyblade wielders were thinking that she'd re-think that statement if she ever saw Izanami-no-Mikoto in person. "Though he is not a god, his power is god-like in its own right. I shudder to think what we'd have to sacrifice just to defeat him..."

"You'll find a way," Nick proclaimed instantly, surprising Lucina. "And I know for a fact that you can pull it off without any unnecessary sacrifices. I'm sick of people having to die just for us to come out on top. What's even the point of victory if it's a hollow victory in the end?!"

Maylin and Haruka just stayed silent, knowing that Nick was taking that sort of thing personally after their battle with Izanami-no-Mikoto.

"I promised myself that I would never let anyone needlessly sacrifice themselves just for a victory that doesn't even mean anything when you're too busy grieving for someone you loved," Nick stated firmly. "That's what I promised Marie, after all."

Unbeknownst to anyone present, Tharja stiffened for a second, having felt a small flare of darkness from Nick. _Hmmm..._ Tharja thought. _This darkness... it is not malicious like the Risen or the Grimleal, but... I can sense the sorrow behind his words is the trigger to his inherent darkness..._

"I'm... sorry if I brought up any unpleasant memories..." Lucina stated.

"Heh, I'm usually the one apologizing for that," Nick teased. "I just got myself worked up because the way you phrased it reminded me of what Marie sacrificed for me. That's why I swore I would never let it end _that_ way again as long as I had the power to do something about it."

"Hey, shouldn't we get back to business, peoples?" Maylin proclaimed. She didn't want Nick walking that dark road again. "We have a divine voice to find and save, right?"

"Ack, you're right! Those stupid Heartless distracted us!" Lissa shouted. "Let's get going, everybody!"

Meanwhile, somewhere far away, near where the passageway to the Voice of the Divine Dragon rested, a soldier rushed back to Cervantes, his commanding officer, to report on the approach of the Shepherds.

"So, they have arrived at last, eh?" Cervantes proclaimed, stroking his bushy mustache like a cliché Saturday morning cartoon villain would do. "'Yes, come closer', said the hairy spider to the flies."

"General Cervantes!" the soldier exclaimed. "Lord Excellus was spot on. The Shepherds approach from the south!"

"Are you seriously hard of hearing, boy?" Cervantes growled. "Did you not hear what I JUST said?!"

"A thousand pardons, my general!"

"Hmmm..." Cervantes cackled. "They must be very skilled to make it this far, huh? It matters not. We'll show them the true meaning of fear."

"The meaning of beard, sir?" the soldier questioned. "Er, I'm sure they would be impressed, but does it really..."

"Fear, you deaf imbecile, FEAR!" Cervantes shot back.

"Y-yes, sir, of course! So sorry!"

"It is impressive, though, isn't it?" Cervantes cackled. "My whiskers, right? I literally haven't shaved since the very first battle I've fought, and have I ever lost a battle? No! Not a single one! Ergo, my mustache makes me invincible! It's science, my dear boy!"

"You're gonna need a lot more than science and beards if you hope to survive."

Cervantes turned in his spot to see Larxene standing there with a casual smirk, twirling the knives of Foudre between her fingers.

"Not that I doubt the... well, _impressiveness_ of your own whiskers," Larxene quipped. "Yours makes Luxord's look like pathetic by comparison. Problem is, the Shepherds have a little extra company with them, one you'll probably need to be careful around."

"You honestly think I would be scared of the Shepherds?" Cervantes proclaimed. "They are nothing to me. I will crush them as easily as a bug beneath my feet."

"Yeah, but the keyblade wielders won't be as easy as them," Larxene stated. "How about I give you some extra manpower to take them down when they show up? Because I _know_ they will."

"Anything to appease the will of my lord," Cervantes replied. "What kind of manpower do you bring?"

Larxene's smile turned savage as she raised Foudre and channeled her power, her entire body radiating darkness and electricity. "Oh, trust me, you'll love this."

* * *

"Are we getting close now?" Lissa proclaimed. "This is one heck of a gigantic tree!"

"We're nearing our destination," Say'ri responded. "But, still, we should expect opposition. I know not who or what, though."

"Hey, I see someone up there," Lucina stated, pointing towards the easily visible form of Cervantes. "Is that one of Walhart's generals?"

Say'ri tensed up once she recognized the armored general. "YOU!"

"What? This cannot be! If it isn't my mortal enemy Say'ri," Cervantes proclaimed.

"Well, well, General Cervantes," Say'ri taunted. "It seems your reputation precedes you."

"As does that gut," Maylin quipped. "I mean, _jeez_..."

"But we have met in glorious battle previously, have you forgotten?" Cervantes cackled. "You and I were locked in deadly combat not long ago, and I would have won the day if you hadn't appeared."

Say'ri simply looked disgusted. "Your beard again? Is there nothing else you can speak of, you imperial pig?!"

"Ap-PEARED! I said "appeared"... oh, never mind," Cervantes growled.

"You invade kingdoms simply to bully them into submission. What exactly do you hope to achieve with that, you fiend?!" Chrom exclaimed, brandishing the Falchion.

"You seriously feel the need to ask me that, you pathetic whelp?" Cervantes shot back. "Emperor Walhart is the one destined to rule this world, plain and simple."

"And why, pray tell, is _that_?!" Maylin challenged, summoning Counterpoint.

"My reasons are irrelevant," Cervantes answered, brandishing his lance. "Walhart's mind is beyond the grasp of you miserable common folk."

"So, let me get this straight," Nick growled, summoning the Kingdom Key to his hands. "You have absolutely _no idea_ what you're even fighting for? Where's the logic in your stupid statements?!"

"I tend to my own beard, boy. A soldier does not question the orders he is given," Cervantes answered. "But he does give his loyalty, and possibly his life, to the service of men greater than he."

"Do you _honestly_ think living only to conquer is such a great ambition?" Haruka questioned, summoning Rumbling Rose. "Is Walhart really that great of a man to you?"

"What could possibly be greater?" Cervantes cackled. "I once held dreams of commanding a nation, sure, but Walhart? Aye, he dreams much larger. He wishes to rule the entire _world_! My moxie is nothing compared to that of the Conqueror. I am but a single tiny heard on a flea's beard in his great mustache! Have you ever tasted the thrill of being part of something bigger than yourself?"

"Not at the price of inflicting needless cruelty and suffering," Chrom shot back.

"Hmph, then words will no longer be needed," Cervantes proclaimed. "Prepare to learn the true meaning of the word 'beard'. ...ack, I mean fear!"

"This guy's a whackjob," Maylin groaned. "Let's just end him already."

"Wait, hold on a second," Haruka stated. "Cervantes, what's up with you? Why do you positively _reek_ of darkness?"

"Oh, a nice hooded lady gave me something to turn the tide against you pathetic weaklings," Cervantes exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "Namely, this!"

Nick's instincts began blaring at him to dodge, and he did so just in time to avoid a vicious swipe from a strange-looking Nobody with knives for fingers and a rather disturbing open-mouth grimace.

"What in the _hell_?!" Maylin shouted.

"Great, now we have freakin' _Nobodies_ to deal with," Nick groaned, readying his keyblade for a fight as more Savages approached them, along with a small platoon of Dusks and Assassins. "This day just keeps getting better, _doesn't it_?!"

"Sarcasm duly noted," Maylin giggled. "Let's just waste them so we can get to the big cheese!"

While Maylin and Haruka split off to attack the Assassins and many of the combat-oriented Shepherds chose to attack the lowly Dusks, Nick decided to go against the Savages, mostly as this was a new type of Nobody and he wanted to know how it fought so he'd be ready for it if it ever showed up in the future.

The Savage that was facing him immediately rushed him while flailing its knife hands wildly. Nick dodged to the left, only to see that the Savage was still flailing in the direction it had charged.

 _Okay, so it takes a bit for them to stop when they attack,_ Nick thought. _That seems like an opportunity!_

While the Savage was still swinging, Nick rushed after it, swinging the Kingdom Key towards its unprotected backside and striking it three times before finishing with a cartwheel uppercut that swiftly destroyed it.

Another Savage came at him with a leaping spiral attack, its knife fingers slicing through the air like a circle of death, but Nick sidestepped the attack so that the Savage's knives embedded into the ground, allowing Nick to easily dispatch it.

Once the Savages were gone, Nick dashed over to assist his comrades in destroying the remaining Nobodies while Cervantes watched in utter psychotic glee.

"There, all your foot soldiers are gone," Maylin growled once she'd finished off the last Assassin and set her sights on Cervantes. "You ready for the main stomping, general boy?!"

"Please! My whiskers are safe against the lot of you. My victory is a foregone conclusion!" Cervantes proclaimed, hefting his lance and his personal battle axe.

"He's lost it now," Haruka groaned. "Nick, Maylin, shall we waste this doofus?"

"You know it," Nick and Maylin resounded together, readying their keyblades.

"Bring it on!" Cervantes shouted, rushing towards them, though due to his heavy armor, it was more like a jog than a full-on charge.

"You shall trouble us no more, fiend!" Lucina shouted, dashing over to Cervantes' flank and attacking with an Aether, knocking the general away with the second hit.

After recovering, Cervantes swung his axe, creating a large trench in the ground. Lucina decided to take advantage, only to be knocked away when Cervantes dragged his axe through the ground, creating a much longer trench and causing dark energy to explode from it.

"I got ya!" Maylin exclaimed, casting Aeroga on Lucina to keep her from flying away any further.

"Give it up!" Cervantes shouted, thrusting his lance straight for Lucina only for it to bounce harmlessly off of the Aeroga shield, giving Maylin a chance to blast Cervantes in the face with a Firaga spell.

Haruka snuck up behind Cervantes while he was distracted by Maylin's spell casting and slammed Rumbling Rose into the ground, creating an upheaval under Cervantes that toppled him enough for Nick to move in and start wailing on him with Ars Arcanum, the final strike of which actually shattered Cervantes' armor, leaving him in his normal battle gear.

"Ack, how can this be?! My invincible mustache has failed me?! Blasted science has played me for a fool..." Cervantes proclaimed.

"Are we done here? Because that was pathetic for someone who's supposed to be a _general_!" Maylin shouted.

Nick took a short step back when he saw Cervantes grinning like a madman, along with the dark glow that was surrounding his body.

"Oh, but 'twas only round one, wench," Cervantes cackled. "I will not be so easily defeated this time!"

Dark energy exploded from Cervantes' body, forcing everyone to back away as his body transformed.

When the darkness cleared away, Cervantes had seemingly merged with a giant Nobody with a large flower on top and two arms with axes at the ends, as well as a billowing tattered cape and a long thin spire going down from its body. Despite its humanoid shape, it lacked legs, instead having pointed spires shaped like the Nobody symbol. Its cloak had a white-gray hood similar to the ones the Organization wore, with the Nobody symbol on its hood. Underneath the hood, a small head can be seen, though obscured by Cervantes' body sticking out halfway from the large flower atop the beast.

"What _madness_?!" Lucina shouted.

"Oh, great," Maylin groaned. "He brought backup."

"It's what I'd do," Haruka admitted.

"Let's just take this thing down before anyone gets hurt," Nick proclaimed.

Cervantes simply gestured towards the Shepherds, and the Specter responded in kind by swinging its axe arms downwards, each swing creating a scythe blade of pure energy that ripped through the air.

"Holy jeez!" Maylin shouted, having just barely dodged one of those attacks. "Okay, I think we need to get rid of those axes first."

"You read my mind," Haruka quipped as she leapt towards the Specter, using the lull in its attack pattern to slash at one of the axes, causing cracks to appear in it.

The Specter spun around with its arms extended, creating a spiral of cutting light blades around it, forcing the keyblade wielders to back off until it stopped spinning to get another shot at its axes. Maylin dove away from another axe swing and fired off a Thunder spell towards the spire, delighted to see it strike hard and cause the Specter to recoil in pain.

"Guys, the weak spot has been found!" Maylin exclaimed.

"How about we stick to our original plan of destroying the axes first?" Haruka stated, slashing at an axe as it sliced through the air towards her. "I'm sure that'll make it a lot easier to attack the spire."

Nick readied himself as the Specter came rocketing towards him, only for it to change course before reaching him and start moving towards the Shepherds, particularly their healers.

"Oh, no you don't!" Sumia exclaimed, flying in on her Pegasus and attacking with Galeforce, easily stopping the Specter in its tracks. "Now begone!"

Sumia flew in a loop to attack the Specter's behind with another Galeforce (now she was glad she had learned that skill), causing the giant Nobody to stumble.

"My turn!" Nowi exclaimed, shifting to her Manakete form and unleashing a blast of lightning that drove the Specter back, allowing Lucina and Robin to tag-team the beast together, Robin unleashing a dual Arcthunder while Lucina simply slashed at any vulnerable spot she could find.

This barrage allowed Nick and Haruka the time they needed to attack the Specter's axes again, finally cracking them off from the Specter's nonexistent hands.

"Finally!" Maylin exclaimed, wisely taking a few steps back as Cervantes raised his arms, causing the Specter to summon a series of flower bud-styled sentries. Each one began to fire lasers at anyone who dared get close, though Nick was able to move in by deflecting each blast with a swing of the Kingdom Key and getting close enough to strike three times at the spire, finishing the combo with a Ripple Drive that drove the Specter back.

Not one to give up so easily, Cervantes clapped his hands together and the Specter responded by swinging its own arms towards its attackers, surrounding them with X-shaped energy waves.

"All right, now you're cheating," Maylin proclaimed. "Nick, you wanna punish the cheater?"

"Let's do it," Nick quipped as Maylin threw herself into his arms. One flash of light later, they had united into Wisdom Form and were already on the move, unleashing Reflect spells one after the other as he glided around to protect the Shepherds from the energy waves.

The Specter turned to face Wisdom Form Nick, Cervantes himself in particular seemingly extremely enraged.

"Oh, sorry, were you looking for me?" Wisdom Form Nick taunted, going on the offensive and rapid-firing spells one after the other.

The Specter eventually broke through the assault and lunged forward, then upward, coming down like a meteor and attempting to impale the keyblade wielder on its spire, but Wisdom Form Nick easily evaded the attack with his Advancing Form Ability (a Maylin-copyrighted term), Quick Run, a super-fast evasive dash so swift it appeared he had flash-stepped away.

The Specter didn't seem to realize that missing that attack had left it stuck in the ground, giving Wisdom Form Nick ample time to blast away at Cervantes himself with multiple spells.

Just when it seemed like the Specter was finished, however, it raised its arms, summoning a massive vortex of darkness around Wisdom Form Nick.

"Oh, crap!" Wisdom Form Nick exclaimed, raising both Fairy Stars and Counterpoint and casting a super-charged Reflega spell. Just as the dark vortex closed in on him, a massive dome of prism-shaped light surrounded Wisdom Form Nick which the dark vortex crashed into and harmlessly dissipated.

Wisdom Form Nick wasted no time in shattering the barrier, which sent all of that reflected damage back to its aggressor and severely damaging the Specter, shredding holes in its cloak and cracking the spire in many places.

"That looks like it'll do!" Say'ri proclaimed. "Now, finish that abomination!"

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Wisdom Form Nick replied, raising his keyblades for the finisher.

" _O power that lies at the root of all creation..."_ Wisdom Form Nick chanted, five large energy orbs, one pink, one blue, one red, one green, and one silver, appearing around him, each one embedded with the elemental symbol of the Guardian it represented.

" _O memory inscribed in ages past..."_ Wisdom Form Nick proclaimed, the orbs flying over to the Specter and spiraling around it. _"Hear my call and arise before me!"_

The Specter tried in vain to pick itself up, despite the damage it had taken. Wisdom Form Nick simply smiled triumphantly.

" _ANCIENT CATASTROPHE!"_ Wisdom Form Nick shouted, and the five energy orbs joined into one giant ball of elemental chaos that surrounded the Specter and exploded with all the force of a supernova, destroying the Specter at last and leaving behind only the fading body of Cervantes, who made one last grasp for his broken weapon before falling limp and fading into the darkness, his heart floating away.

"What a battle, indeed!" Say'ri proclaimed. "I almost pity Ylisse's enemies. Almost."

"We're just that good!" Maylin quipped once she and Nick had separated.

"Say'ri, do you know the way to the shrine?" Chrom asked.

"Yes, but we must make haste. Follow me," Say'ri stated.

With that, the Shepherds moved on, hoping to find the Voice before it was too late.

When the field was calm again, a corridor of darkness opened up, and out stepped Larxene, who raised her hand and drew in the large heart that Cervantes had left behind.

"Ah, well," Larxene laughed. "At least I've got a strong heart for the cause. And besides, I think I know how we can have even more fun while I'm here."

* * *

"Jeez, how many stairs does a staircase have?" Lissa groaned. "Because I'm already _sick and tired_ of this stupid, never-ending staircase!"

"This is incredible," Lucina admitted. "The Voice truly lives all the way up here?"

"Lady Tiki?!" Say'ri exclaimed. "Are you here? Answer me, please!"

Say'ri did eventually spot Tiki nearby, only to balk in fright at the sight of Tiki being surrounded by a horde of Luna Bandits.

"Lady Tiki!" Say'ri screamed.

"Oh, you can _forget_ it!" Maylin proclaimed, rushing in and leaping into the air above Tiki. Before the Luna Bandits could strike, Maylin cast a Thundaga spell that rained lightning bolts around her to obliterate the Luna Bandits.

The lone surviving Luna Bandit attempted to juke around Maylin and attack Tiki, but the young mage simply snatched it by the arm and threw it towards Nick, who finished it off with an upward swing from Fairy Stars.

"That's what you get," Maylin laughed.

"We've really gotta practice our fastball special," Nick quipped.

"Hey, last time, _I_ was the ball," Maylin proclaimed. "Next time, _you're_ the ball, got it?"

"You guys..." Haruka giggled.

Tiki simply yawned; after all, it had been quite a while since her last time awake.

"My lady, I am so relieved to see you unhurt," Say'ri sighed in relief.

"So, you're Lady Tiki, the voice of the divine dragon?" Lucina wondered.

Tiki did a double-take, as if Lucina had reminded her of someone particular. "M-Marth? Is it really you, Mar-Mar?" Tiki gasped.

"Sorry, but my name is Lucina, milady. I did go by the name Marth for a time," Lucina explained. "Have we possibly met before?"

Tiki sighed. "Alas, no. Sorry... You remind me of someone I knew, but... he is gone. Lost during my endless slumber..."

Nick walked up and patted Tiki on the shoulder, knowing full well what she had went through.

"T-thank you," Tiki stated, smiling a little brighter now. "Lucina, you and your father are of the exalted bloodline, is that correct?"

"That is true, my lady," Chrom replied.

"Do you still possess the Fire Emblem?" Tiki wondered. "It was passed down through your family, after all..."

Chrom produced a large golden shield, with five slots for gemstones, though only one was filled.

"Ah, it is such a relief to know that it has not been lost," Tiki proclaimed. "But where are the Gemstones? You seem to only have Argent."

"Gemstones?" Haruka wondered. "There's more to the Fire Emblem than just the shield?"

Tiki nodded. "There are five of them. Argent, Sable, Gules, Azure, and Vert. Each stone holds a piece of Naga's power, and when all of them are mounted upon the Fire Emblem, its wielder can perform the Awakening."

Frederick gasped in surprise. "Wait, by Awakening, you mean the sacred rite by which the first exalt channeled the power of Naga?"

"Yes, the very same," Tiki confirmed. "With the power of the Fire Emblem, the exalt was able to defeat Grima. However, such power was too much for men to handle, and thus the Gemstones were scattered across the world, to keep them away from those who would use them for evil. I kept Azure here."

"My own kingdom had safeguarded Vert for generations," Say'ri continued. "Sadly, it was recently stolen by Walhart's forces..."

"So, Lady Tiki, any idea where the last two might be?" Maylin wondered, balancing herself on Counterpoint.

"Alas, I do not know where the last two, Sable and Gules, could possibly be," Tiki admitted. "They may have been taken long ago, at the time of the great Schism."

Basilio stepped up, having realized something. "Regna Ferox was founded during the Schism, as were most all nations in the realm, I believe."

"Hey, wait, does that mean you guys have one of the gemstones?" Lissa asked.

"As if anyone would entrust that oaf with such a treasure!" Flavia laughed.

"Actually, it's the truth," Basilio admitted. "We kept Gules. Did I forget to mention that?"

"I think you did," Maylin teased.

"Hmmm... it must have slipped my mind. Regardless, it is true that the West Khans once protected Gules, but it was lost long before my time," Basilio stated.

"Here, exalted ones, take Azure with you," Tiki proclaimed, handing a deep blue gemstone to Chrom. "You now possess two of the five Gemstones, but you must seek out the others to perform the Awakening and defend this world from Grima by any means necessary!"

"Hey, hold on a second," Maylin quipped. "Didn't you say Grima was sealed away?"

"'tis true, but recently, there have been groups who wish to change that," Tiki stated. "Grima's power grows even now, and the shadows of despair with it..."

"Any idea when and where he'll be back, if that happens?" Nick asked, spinning Kingdom Key in his hands. "You know, just so we can prepare?"

"Alas, this I do not know," Tiki sighed. "But I feel his presence looming closer and closer. I know this task is a heavy burden, but as one of exalted blood, it must fall to you, Chrom."

"I understand. Thank you for all of your help," Chrom proclaimed, placing Azure in the slot to the left of Argent on the Fire Emblem.

It was then that Tiki noticed something strange about two of the Shepherds. She glanced at Robin first, wondering if what she had just felt was true. _So strange... he has power like mine... I hope I am still groggy from my slumber, otherwise I might not wish to know what that may mean..._

Then, Tiki looked over at Nick, who was conversing with Maylin about something. _And him... he radiates a brilliant light, say true, but he is also shadowed by a great darkness... mayhap it is due to the sibling he has lost?_

Suddenly, Tiki felt a strange magical flare, and turned back towards her resting place to see a large keyhole forming in the sky.

"Okay, I've seen a lot of weird things today, but I think _that_ tops it all!" Lissa proclaimed.

"This one's mine, everybody," Nick stated, taking a few steps forward and raising the Kingdom Key to seal the keyhole. After a second of windup, Nick fired a beam of light into the keyhole, locking it with a loud "CLICK" and allowing the branches above to return to normal.

"Are you feeling well, my lady?" Say'ri asked after seeing Tiki yawn again.

"I will be fine," Tiki answered. "I am simply very tired... I do not yet possess the strength to join this battle, but I will call the people together in prayer, to hopefully put an end to this conflict sooner or later."

"We could not ask for more," Robin proclaimed as the Shepherds turned to leave and return to Ylisse.

"Wait," Tiki proclaimed. "I have one more gift. Brave wielder of the keyblade, I grant you new powers for your journey."

Tiki raised her hands and channeled her magic, a relatively simple feat even in her tired state, causing two spheres of green light to float over to Nick and surround his hands. After a second, the green glow surrounding his right hand transfigured into a new keyblade. It was relatively simple in design, with the blade, hilt, and handle resembling Lucina's Parallel Falchion, the weapon's teeth resembling Tiki's crown, the handle guard shaped like Nowi's Manakete wings, and the token, the symbol of Ylisse's army, connected by a keychain made up of look-alikes of the Fire Emblem's Gemstones. The words _Exalted One_ came to Nick's mind as he studied it.

Another flare caught Nick's attention, and he noticed that his left hand now held what appeared to be the Dragon Charm, only the wings imprinted on it were Tiki's Manakete wings instead of Nowi's.

"With the power of your friends, you may use this charm to call upon an Einherjar of myself," Tiki explained. "I noticed that one of your friends was trapped within a similar charm before you released her."

"I guess this world had been swallowed by the darkness until recently, and Nowi somehow survived," Nick explained. "That usually seems to be their fate when someone survives the destruction of a world, that they end up stuck in either a gem or a charm until they can find their way home."

"Naga be with you," Tiki proclaimed as the Shepherds turned to return to Ylisse.

 _I hope that he is able to overcome his dark impulses,_ Tiki thought she watched Nick converse with his partners. _I would not wish the same despair on him as so many other keyblade wielders whose fate has already been closed._

* * *

Back in Ylisse, the Shepherds were currently discussing their next plan of attack, while Nick, Maylin, and Haruka were waiting for their opportunity to unlock the next gate so they could move on with their journey.

"There's a lot of interesting people here," Maylin quipped. "Chrom's got quite the army, if I do say so myself."

"They've been through so much hell lately, what with all these armies to fight _and_ worrying about the idiots who plan on reviving this Grima character," Haruka stated. "They really deserve a chance to rest."

"Excuse me?"

Nick turned on the spot to see Tharja standing there, studying him with a curious expression.

"Hey, Nick, I can sense a dark aura coming from her, too," Maylin quipped.

"Yeah, but it doesn't feel malicious," Nick replied. "Maybe she has control over own inner darkness. What I wouldn't give to be able to do that..."

"I know what you mean," Tharja proclaimed, drawing the trio's attention. "I sensed your own inner darkness when you mentioned what happened to your sister. It seems to be something you're trying desperately to hold back."

"Nailed it," Nick quipped. "If I'm being honest here, I'm scared of my own darkness. The last few times my, shall we say, 'dark side' took control, I almost lost myself. For god's sake, I nearly killed Maylin _twice_ just because I couldn't keep myself under better goddamn control!"

"Nick, I told you, you shouldn't blame yourself for that," Maylin responded.

"In that case, I have a proposal," Tharja stated.

"I'm listening," Nick replied.

"I may have a way for you to rein in your darkness," Tharja proclaimed. "But you must be strong enough to overcome it."

"At this point, I'm willing to try anything," Nick admitted. "So, okay, Tharja, hit me with your best shot."

Tharja brought out her spellbook and began chanting in an arcane language, the book glowing with darkness as she did so. As Tharja continued to chant, arcs of dark electricity lanced out from her spellbook and struck Nick directly, bringing him to his knees in abject agony.

"Hey, hey!" Maylin shouted, summoning Counterpoint. "I thought you said that..."

"Be patient," Tharja replied.

Just when Nick thought the pain couldn't get any worse, it suddenly receded like a tidal wave. And if he was being honest with himself, he felt odd. It was almost as if he'd...

And then he saw it.

He saw himself.

Only, his 'other self' was almost completely shrouded in black colors, much like his other 'shadow selves' had been, along with the bright yellow eyes of a Heartless, and he was brandishing _two_ completely black Kingdom Keys, much like the one the Omen wielded.

"What in the _hell_?!" Nick gasped.

 **("Dismiss ~2.5 HD Remix ver.~" by Yoko Shimomura plays)**

Shadow Nick simply grinned evilly and rushed forward, swinging its keyblade overhead. Nick quickly raised his own Kingdom Key to counter, the impact of the two blades meeting being felt all across the camp.

The two continued to clash blades even as their fight continued to draw more of the Shepherds to the scene.

"Oh, no, I'm _not_ letting Nick handle this one alone!" Maylin exclaimed, only to be stopped in her tracks by Tharja.

"He _must_ do this one alone," Tharja stated. "He wishes to control his darkness, so he must do so on his own."

Haruka walked up and pulled Maylin into a hug, hoping to calm her down.

Nick swung the Kingdom Key horizontally, hoping to catch his enemy off guard, but Shadow Nick simply retaliated with a vortex attack that trailed darkness around it, forcing Nick to stay on the defensive.

Not one to accept defeat, Nick jumped back in with a diagonal cut that was simply deflected. That, however, was what Nick had expected, and he lashed his foot out to strike Shadow Nick in the chest, stumbling his dark self just long enough to blast it back with a Ripple Drive.

"Hey, what's going on out here?" Lissa wondered.

"What monster is _this_ now?!" Lucina shouted, unsheathing the Parallel Falchion. "It reeks of shadows. Perhaps one of Grima's puppets?!"

"Stay back!" Nick shouted. Unfortunately, this distraction gave Shadow Nick ample time to leap into the air and swing its two keyblades down, creating a spiral of dark energy blades around it that drove Nick further back.

Nick restored to simply defending himself from his shadow self's furious onslaught, eventually switching to Oathkeeper and Oblivion so he could meet his dark half on more even footing.

Shadow Nick grinned before flashing forward with a dual cross attack, sending Nick flying back through the crowd of Shepherds who quickly retreated to safe ground as Nick and his shadow continued their strange duel.

After staggering his shadow, Nick moved in for an attack, only for Shadow Nick to jump back while twirling its keyblades. Nick cursed his carelessness as Shadow Nick struck with a dual outward slash, a whirlwind of darkness erupting around it that drove Nick to the ground.

Shadow Nick continued its relentless offensive with a spinning buzzsaw attack that Nick just barely raised his own keyblades to block, only for Nick's guard to falter and allow the attack through, the dark blades tearing into his shoulder.

Nick didn't get any time to clutch his wound, as Shadow Nick swung out four times, each strike tearing a dark gash in Nick's body.

Nick finally managed to repel his shadow with an upward strike, giving him some breathing room. Nick raised Oathkeeper to cast Curaga on himself, only for chains of darkness to burst out of the ground and ensnare each of his limbs, leaving him unable to move.

Shadow Nick simply smiled, those soulless yellow eyes piercing into Nick's very being as it went back on the offensive, landing slash after slash while Nick could do nothing to defend himself, eventually leading to Shadow Nick unleashing a great torrent of dark blasts that all converged on Nick at once.

Nick fell to his knees, unsure if he could take much more of this. Shadow Nick simply began to advance on Nick, raising its keyblades for the killing strike.

"Tharja, we have to do _something_! He's getting stomped!" Maylin exclaimed, a few tears streaking down her face. "If he _dies_ , I'll never forgive myself!"

"Why do _you_ think he is losing?" Tharja asked, still calm as she had been.

"Well, it's because you made that shadow thing _way_ too strong!" Maylin shot back, on the verge of crying.

Haruka's eyes widened, having just then realized why Nick was losing so badly.

Maylin was about to throw herself at Tharja when she turned back to the battle and saw something that absolutely horrified her.

Shadow Nick swung both keyblades out to slash Nick's hands and make him drop his own keyblades, which clattered feebly to the ground and vanished. Unable to retaliate due to the chains that bound him, Nick could only watch in horror as Shadow Nick brought both of its keyblades back, then thrust them forward, both blades piercing through Nick's chest in a great burst of darkness.

As if to rub it in, a large heart made of pure light floated out of Nick's wound, only for Nick and his heart to be covered by a cocoon of darkness and disappear, leaving only his shadow behind.

Maylin froze in her spot, dropping Counterpoint in her shock and horror.

* * *

"Where... where am I?"

Nick couldn't see anything around him. The Shepherds' camp, his friends and allies, all of them had vanished in this murky darkness that threatened to consume him.

"What... what is this feeling?"

Nick didn't have to answer his own question. He knew what was happening, as it was the second time it had actually happened.

He was being consumed by the darkness once again.

Though last time, he had fallen due to being caught off guard by a powerful enemy.

This situation was similar, but Nick knew the reason was because he wasn't strong enough to overcome his own darkness.

He'd let his friends down.

He'd let Marie down.

He wasn't sure if he could live with that weighing him down.

Nick raised his hand, not really surprised that he couldn't summon his keyblades in this dark place, and saw that even his own body was fading.

 _Yes... that's my punishment,_ Nick thought. _I wasn't strong enough to protect my friends when they needed me... so I'll be punished by simply fading away into the darkness that I couldn't keep in check..._

As if proving his point, at least ten Shadow Nicks materialized around him, each carrying two black Kingdom Keys, their intent very clear.

As his shadows approached him, Nick simply looked down at the dark ground, knowing it was pointless to fight it.

 _I'm sorry... Haruka... Maylin... Lily..._

A tear fell from Nick's eye, most likely his last.

 _I'm sorry, Marie..._

The Shadow Nicks all struck at once, their keyblades flashing through the darkness to tear Nick into nothingness.

None of the dark weapons actually struck.

A small light had floated in front of Nick while he wasn't watching, and when the Shadow Nicks had attacked, the small light became a great flare that drove them all back.

Nick chanced a glance upwards, wondering why he wasn't fading like he deserved, only to see the light that had protected him grow into a silhouette that looked very familiar to him, even though he couldn't place it with his darkness-addled mind.

The silhouette gracefully danced back and forth, swinging what appeared to be a keyblade to eliminate each of the Shadow Nicks with one swift strike.

Once it was just him and the silhouette, Nick suddenly realized who had saved him...

...and despite everything, he started to cry.

Slightly pale skin, shoulder-length black hair, vibrant green eyes...

It was Marie.

And she was carrying a keyblade, no less.

The keyblade Marie was carrying had a long, thin blade and was predominantly a dull, metallic blue color. It also had a teardrop-shaped gap in the base and near the tip of the blade's shaft. Its head was roughly diamond-shaped, though the left corner of the diamond was absent and there was another, small, white diamond on the inner edge of the right corner. The teeth were formed by four blue spikes lining the outer edge of the blade's head, and the guard was angular, predominantly white, and not fully connected to the rest of the keyblade. The keychain links and its token were all made up of water droplets.

"Hey."

Nick couldn't respond; how was he _supposed_ to respond?

It seemed that Marie noticed this, as she rushed over to Nick, obviously concerned about him. "Hey, you okay, Nick?" Marie asked.

"M-Marie?" Nick gasped. "Am I... am I seeing this right? I'm not hallucinating?"

"I wouldn't think so, considering _I_ got to save _your_ bacon for a change," Marie giggled.

"Agh, I'm so confused!" Nick exclaimed. "Am I stuck in some kind of darkness-induced hell or something?! I already feel horrible for not being able to save you, Marie!"

"Nick, remember what I said to you?" Marie answered, letting Rainfell rest on her shoulder. "As long as you keep me in your heart, I'll be happy. After all, _I'm_ the one who chose to give up my life to save you."

"Then... why are you here, Marie?" Nick wondered. "Did you... did you come from the afterlife to help me?"

Before Marie could answer that question, though, Nick suddenly heard something.

A heartbeat.

A heartbeat... that wasn't his own.

Nick looked up at Marie, honest shock showing on his face. Was...

No way. That couldn't be possible.

"M-Marie?" Nick asked. "Are... are you _alive_? Because I don't think ghosts can wield keyblades..."

"I'd think not!" Marie teased. "That would be _weird_."

Nick slowly got to his feet, and then, losing all trace of self-control, dashed over and hugged Marie tightly, holding her close to him as if letting go would separate them again.

Sure enough, pressed as close together as they were, Nick could feel the unmistakable beat of Marie's heart.

"Marie, you're alive!" Nick exclaimed. "H- _How_?!"

Marie just smiled. "Remember when I got possessed by that armored thing?"

 _Marie, despite her fading strength, pushed herself up on her own arms to kiss Nick on the cheek, perhaps as a final goodbye._

" _Just keep me in your heart, Nick. That's... all I could ever ask for..."_

 _Nick just nodded, tears almost completely clouding his vision now._

" _I... I love you, Marie."_

" _I love you, too, Nick. I always have. And... I... always... will..."_

 _With this, Marie had spoken her last, collapsing into Nick's arms and disappearing completely, all that remained being little particles of light that swirled around Nick before fading away._

"I think... the only explanation I can come up with is that... well, this may sound weird," Marie explained. "After I passed away, I felt _your_ heart enveloping mine, like you were giving me refuge inside your own heart. I couldn't really see anything that was happening until now, but whenever you pulled out a second keyblade, I _could_ feel it, like you were drawing on _my_ power as well as your own..."

"Of _course_! _That's_ why I could wield two keyblades outside of my Drive Forms! Because your heart was with me this whole time!" Nick exclaimed, the tears falling freely now.

"Pretty much," Marie giggled. "And, well, when that _thing_ kicked your butt and released your heart, I guess it released me, too."

"Y-you're really alive, Marie?" Nick repeated. "You're seriously, for _reals_ alive?"

"As alive and kickin' as I've ever felt," Marie laughed. To prove once and for all that she was real, Marie leaned forward and kissed Nick on the cheek. "I never got the chance to thank you for that Stargirl Shannon action figure you bought me before all of this. So... well, thank you for the present, big bro!"

A heart of light floated down through the abyss. Realizing it was his own, Nick reached out to reclaim his heart and summon the Kingdom Key.

"I believe this is yours," Nick stated. "It was the one you used against me."

"An heirloom?" Marie teased, accepting the Kingdom Key so Nick could summon Exalted One. "Cool!"

"Let's go back, Marie," Nick stated.

"I'm ready whenever you are," Marie responded.

* * *

Shadow Nick just stood there, proud of its work, before turning towards where Maylin and Haruka were. The young mage was bawling in Haruka's arms, unable to accept that Nick has just been killed by his own inner darkness.

Tharja gazed towards where Nick had been, her attention focused on the spot where Nick had been struck down. She sensed something odd, after all.

"Maylin... did you feel that?" Haruka asked.

"Feel _what_?!" Maylin shrieked. "All I feel right now is _sad_!"

But even Maylin couldn't ignore that surge of energy, and gazed back to see another cocoon of darkness appear on the field, in the same place where Nick had been struck down.

Tharja seemed honestly pleased, as if she'd expected this outcome.

Before Maylin could get a grasp on the situation, the dark bubble expanded, then expanded again, and subsequently shattered, revealing Nick and Marie, not a scratch on either of them, their keyblades drawn and ready.

"Is that the jerk?" Marie asked, aiming her Kingdom Key at Shadow Nick.

"Yeah, he's the one," Nick quipped.

"Well, Nick, what should we do?" Marie giggled.

"Simple," Nick proclaimed.

Both Nick and Marie shouted "LET'S BEAT HIS ASS!" before charging in tandem for Shadow Nick.

The dark being tried to get its keyblades up to defend itself, but under Nick and Marie's combined assault, it simply stood no chance.

Before long, the tide had completely turned, and Shadow Nick was finding itself on the losing end.

Marie switched to Rainfell and blasted Shadow Nick with a powerful bubble spell, dropping it to its knees and paving the way for Nick to rush in and deliver the finishing blow.

"Have a taste of your own medicine, you _bastard_!" Nick shouted, driving Exalted One straight through Shadow Nick's chest and causing the shadow to explode into giant particles of darkness that re-absorbed themselves into Nick's body. Almost all at once, Nick felt his darkness return to him.

Only this time, he wasn't afraid anymore.

Now he knew what Tharja had meant to do with that hex she had cast. She had drawn Nick's inner darkness out and manifested it a physical form so he could face it and take control of it.

 _Really wished she hadn't made it so super-strong, though,_ Nick thought. _I reeeeeeeeeeeally didn't like getting destroyed like that._

Nick glanced back at Marie, feeling a surge of joy at having his sister back. _But, then again, if I_ _ **hadn't**_ _gotten whooped, I probably wouldn't have Marie back right now. Man, I've never been so happy to get my ass kicked._

"Is... is everything okay?" Lucina asked, still a little apprehensive.

"I think we're fine," Nick stated. "Sorry if I scared you guys."

Marie looked over at Maylin, who was just staring in wide-eyed shock at the events that had just unfolded.

"Am I really that interesting?" Marie wondered. "She's staring like Hay Lin did when Eric showed up to school in his _boxers_."

"Yeah, what _was_ he thinking that day?" Nick laughed.

Maylin took slow, unsure steps towards Nick and Marie, studying them both to make sure nothing was wrong with either of them.

"Maylin, I'm not gonna bite, okay?" Marie stated quite clearly. "Promise."

"Since Maylin won't ask the obvious question here, I'll field it for her," Haruka replied. "Is that really you standing before us, Marie?"

"Yep, she's the real deal," Nick answered. "It turns out that when I defeated her, her heart took refuge with mine before it could fade away. I guess she spent the whole year getting herself back together until I got destroyed by shadow me. When it released my heart, it must have let Marie out, too. Hey, I'm not gonna question how that works as long as I've got my sister back."

"Words to live by," Marie admitted. "Hey, Maylin, if you're still kinda scared of me after what I did to you in the Blue Sky Kingdom, I completely understand..."

Marie was caught off guard when Maylin snapped out of her trance and hugged her tightly.

"That wasn't your fault!" Maylin exclaimed. "You were being controlled by Red and his goon squad! I certainly don't blame you for _that_!"

"Nick really missed you, you know," Haruka stated. "We could all tell. It really hurt him to do what he did back at Kingdom Hearts."

"You should have seen all the times we caught him talking to his keyblade," Maylin giggled. "He was talking to _you_ , Marie."

"I know," Marie laughed. "I heard every word he said. I just couldn't _do_ anything about it while I was recovering."

Nick took a few steps towards Marie and hugged her, still beyond happy to have her back.

"I love you, Marie."

"I love you, too, big bro."

"Well, well, isn't this cheesy as hell?"

Nick looked over his shoulder to see that another black-hooded figure had just appeared through a corridor of darkness.

"We can just call this a great, big, happy reunion, can't we?" Larxene cackled.

"All right you, out with it," Maylin growled, summoning Counterpoint. "Were _you_ the one who gave Cervantes those powers?!"

"Oh, but of course," Larxene giggled. "Anything to further the cause."

"Okay, start talking," Nick proclaimed. "What exactly are you Organization freaks trying to do to get to Kingdom Hearts?! You _know_ that we locked it up, so there's no way you can get to it!"

In response, Larxene just laughed, a sadistic, noblewoman-esque cackle that really irritated Nick for some reason.

"Oh, please, we have our own ways," Larxene replied. "But I'm not telling you weirdos any of that. After all, you're probably not going to live beyond the next hour, after all."

"Okay, I'm getting _really_ sick and tired of you people acting like you're invincible and unbeatable, when we've _already_ trashed two of your troop!" Maylin shot back, hefting Counterpoint threateningly. "Stop acting like you're the supreme power in the universe _when you're clearly not even close!_ "

"That doesn't really matter at this point," Larxene proclaimed. "Once we have Kingdom Hearts in our possession, you will never be a problem again."

Larxene raised her hands, summoning Foudre and aiming it menacingly for Nick. "So how about you come over here and I'll be _happy_ to rip you to shreds?!"

Marie re-summoned Rainfell, shifting into the fighting stance she'd used so many times while working for Red's council, holding her keyblade above herself at her following side and her leading left hand out with an open palm.

"If you hurt my brother in _any way_ , you sadist, I _will_ return that hurt _tenfold_ , got it?!" Marie challenged.

"W-wait, how are you here?!" Larxene gasped, as if she'd just realized Marie was standing there. "I thought you were... ugh, this wasn't how it happened. Damn it all, now everything's out of whack..."

"Is this chick making any sense to anyone here?" Marie wondered.

"Can we just waste her and move on?!" Maylin proclaimed.

"You, waste _me_?! Get _over_ yourselves!" Larxene laughed. "Oh, well, I can work with this. I hope you're ready to get sent _back_ to the grave, little girl! More pain for you just means more fun for me!"

Larxene dashed forward like lightning, fittingly, and slashed at Nick with Foudre. Marie was over there in a flash to block the attack with a downward slash.

"W-what?" Larxene gasped.

"Oh, yeah, still got the moves!" Marie laughed before moving in to attack, starting with a forward thrust, then a diagonal left wide slash, then a spinning cut, and finishing with a jumping buzzsaw spin attack that pushed Larxene back a few feet.

Nick continued the combo by rushing in while Larxene was stumbling and striking four times before sending the Savage Nymph flying with a Stride Break.

Larxene flipped back to her feet and swung Foudre a few times, sending thin but razor-sharp blades of electricity at the four keyblade wielders. They all dodged the blades before considering their attack options.

"Ooh, ooh, me, me!" Maylin giggled. "I've got a good one!"

As Nick and Marie tag-teamed Larxene to keep her in place, Maylin prepared a spell she hadn't used since the end of their previous adventure. Or, at least, she hadn't gotten the chance to try out its upgraded forms.

The young mage waited until Nick ducked under a far-right slash and struck back, slashing across Larxene's chest and causing her to stiffen up. Once Larxene dropped to her knees, Maylin made her move.

" _Force, know my plight! Release the light! WATERA!"_ Maylin shouted, striking a spell coin and blasting Larxene with rapid-fire water bubbles for a couple seconds.

"Okay, what exactly was _that_ supposed to do?" Larxene wondered. "That didn't really hurt much. All you did was get me wet, basically."

"Oh, but that's the plan," Maylin laughed, readying a super spell coin. "Because now this is gonna hurt a lot worse."

Maylin twirled Counterpoint around in dramatic fashion before tossing the super spell coin into the air. _"Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! THUNDAJA!"_ Maylin shouted before striking the coin.

A circle of light beams surrounded Larxene as it continued to swirl around. Before Larxene could pick herself up, multiple bolts of lightning began to bombard her from all sides before three wicked thunderbolts cracked down all at once, followed by another bombardment of regular lightning bolts, and finishing with one final, bluish-white thunderbolt surging down into Larxene's body and causing a great explosion of electricity.

Larxene stumbled a couple times, not expecting that to actually hurt, much less as much as it did. "Ugh... you little wretch..."

"Did you forget that water conducts electricity?" Maylin taunted. "Seriously, learn your third-grade science!"

"Ooh, so help me, I'll eviscerate you for mocking me!" Larxene growled, picking herself up only to dodge an overhead slash from Rumbling Rose.

"Did you really forget I was here?" Haruka giggled, slamming Rumbling Rose to the ground and causing it to explode under Larxene, throwing her back towards where Nick was standing.

Nick decided to just cut out the middleman and start flaying Larxene with Ars Arcanum. To Nick's surprise, though, once his attack was finished, Marie immediately jumped in and started wailing on the Savage Nymph with a Sonic Blade.

To her credit, as Armored Nightmare Marie, she had used very similar versions of Nick's own Limit attacks, so maybe she knew them by proxy.

"We need to land a decisive blow here, because I _really_ don't want to be doing this all day," Maylin proclaimed.

Almost as if something had heard, a surge of energy suddenly surrounded Nick. Maylin recognized it as the aura that signified the unlocking of a new Drive Form, only this was an aura of darkness.

And that same aura was surrounding Marie.

This time, though, Nick had an idea of how this was going to go down, and simply reached out to take Marie's hand.

Silver light exploded from Nick's clothes as Marie vanished, and when it died down, Maylin was initially concerned.

After all, it looked like Nick had turned into Anti-Form yet again.

The only differences were that instead of sharp claws, Nick was now wielding two completely black Kingdom Keys, and instead of yellow Heartless eyes, his eyes were now the same vibrant green that Marie had.

Larxene took a step back out of reflexive fear.

Wait.

Fear?

Shadow Form Nick didn't give Larxene any time to ponder this strange occurrence, as he flash-stepped forward and started swinging like wildfire at Larxene's prone form, his keyblades leaving trails of darkness with each slash.

For the finisher, Shadow Form Nick began teleporting rapidly around Larxene, attacking with each jump before leaping above the Savage Nymph and thrusting both keyblades downward and creating a spiral of dark energy blades around him that damaged Larxene further.

Larxene called down a barrage of lightning bolts, but Shadow Form Nick simply dove into the ground, becoming one with the shadows and slithering through them to come up behind Larxene and continue his attack, eventually finishing by raising his hands to the sky and causing a geyser of darkness to erupt around him.

"God damn it, why won't you just _die_?!" Larxene shouted, rushing back in despite her wounds and clashing with Shadow Form Nick. "Are you ever gonna get it?!"

And then, something completely unexpected happened.

Shadow Form Nick leaned in closer and kissed Larxene on the cheek.

The Savage Nymph stopped completely, unable to process such a foreign emotion.

Wait, there it was again.

"W-what?" Larxene gasped, sounding like she had actually felt that emotion, despite not having a heart to feel with.

Larxene was so caught up in that strange feeling that she didn't even see Shadow Form Nick leaning back.

One flash later, it was all over.

Shadow Form Nick was behind Larxene, both of his keyblades down.

"I..." Larxene gasped, knowing she was finished. "...didn't think you had it in you."

With that, Larxene's grip weakened, and she dropped Foudre before fading into darkness.

"I'll admit, Nick, that was one heck of a tactic," Haruka quipped once Nick and Marie had separated. "I can't believe it actually worked."

"What just _happened_ , Nick?!" Maylin exclaimed. "You were like a _mountain_ of darkness back there! Did defeating that shady knock-off actually let you control your darkness?"

"I guess so," Nick stated. "One heck of a new form, eh?"

"I knew you would be able to pull it off," Tharja giggled. "I did not doubt for a second."

"What a roundabout way to do it, honestly," Nick quipped. "But, hey, it worked out in the end, right? I have control over my darkness, I got a new Drive Form, and best of all, I have my sister back!"

"Wouldn't wanna be anywhere else, big bro," Marie laughed.

Tharja suddenly flinched when she saw a brief flash of light from her spellbook, watching in honest confusion as it started floating into the air.

Energy began to gather around Oathkeeper's teeth, before eventually absorbing into the ground below Nick and creating the shape of a crown under his feet. As wind began to swirl around Nick's body as he channeled his power, the glow surrounding the spellbook created a wave of light that eventually formed into a large keyhole in the sky.

Nick jumped back, spinning Oathkeeper a few times before aiming and firing a beam of light from the keyblade into the keyhole. Reality seemed to shatter in a large circle around the keyhole, lines of light flowing into it before creating a bright flare that caused the keyhole to disappear.

"Whoa, what just happened?" Marie asked.

"Another world is calling," Haruka proclaimed. "It's time to leave."

"Naga be with you in your coming battles," Lucina stated.

"Don't be a stranger, now!" Lissa laughed.

"I could say the same thing," Maylin giggled.

* * *

"Okay, I'm lost," Lily groaned, again cursing the fact that she seemed to have inherited her father's curse of trouble often finding him. "What _exactly_ compelled me to jump into that dark corridor? Because I have _no freakin' clue_ where I ended up!"

All Lily could see around her was a multi-colored tunnel full of swirling energies and, oddly enough, Nobody symbols.

"And, on that note, WHERE IS EVERYTHING HERE?!" Lily shouted, swinging Kingdom Key and Light Seeker in frustration before sinking to her knees and groaning.

Just then, a large keyhole opened on her side of the tunnel, instantly catching Lily's attention.

"Hmmm? Could that be my way out?" Lily asked nobody in particular. "Eh, may as well. Better than just standing here in the void."

Lily raised Light Seeker and fired a beam of light into the keyhole, only for it to start emitting a massive flare of light that forced Lily to shield her eyes.

When the light died down, however, Lily realized that she was now standing in a very familiar plaza.

It was the Heatherfield Central Park plaza, during a light snowfall.

And someone she knew very well was ice-skating just a few feet away.

Lily was in awe, entranced by how gracefully Cornelia glided across the ice, even throwing a few jumping spins in like she was competing.

It made her own ice-skating skills look pathetic by comparison, but that's why she had asked Cornelia to train her, after all. She wanted to learn from the best.

Still unsure if she should go up and say something, Lily nonetheless took a few steps forward for a closer look, only to slip on a patch of ice she hadn't seen on her way in.

Cornelia noticed Lily slipping, despite her routine, and quickly rushed over to help Lily back to her feet. "You okay?"

Lily was still unable to say anything, afraid she'd say the wrong thing.

"Hey, aren't you that Lily girl?" Cornelia asked. "The one Nick's been looking for?"

* * *

"Wow, this is your ship?" Marie gasped once the group had finally returned to the Gummi Ship. Needless to say, Marie was in awe of their method of universal travel

"Yup! Built it ourselves!" Maylin giggled.

"Yeah, it seems weird at first glance," Nick quipped. "I've been through uncountable amounts of nonsense on these adventures, so it doesn't really faze me anymore."

"Well, how about we move on and see some more of these crazy places?" Marie asked. "I wanna see all the cool worlds my big bro and his friends have been to!"

"Ask and ye shall receive, my dear Marie," Haruka proclaimed. "We're getting ready to set sail! In your seats, everybody!"

Once everyone was properly seated, Haruka set the Gummi Ship in motion, setting sail for the next world that needed them.

Marie silently reached out to take Nick's hand, who responded by gently squeezing, as if to ensure himself that this was actually real, that his sister had returned to him at long last.

In response, Marie simply smiled, the same smile Nick had known ever since she'd come to the family.

This time around, Nick promised to work even harder to protect Marie, so nothing would ever separate them again.

He'd make sure of _that._

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Exalted One  
** Strength: 11  
Magic: 11  
Ability: Shadow Boost  
 _A keyblade representing the legacy of the First Exalt that defeated the great Fell Dragon. A powerful, but balanced weapon that boosts magic to increase damage done by darkness-based spells and attacks by 20%._

* * *

 _New summon acquired!_

 **Tiki, the Voice of Naga  
** _Drive Gauge Points Needed:_ **3  
** _Purpose:_ Draw enemies to one place for easier battles, and attack with wide-range elemental bursts of fire and lightning and other spells. When in Manakete form, trades elemental power for immense physical strength and devastating combo attack.  
 _Limit Attack:_ **Vortex Breath** , where Tiki uses her dragon breath to draw in nearby enemies and keep them bound to one spot for Nick to attack easily.  
 _Charge Gauge_ : For every Heartless or Nobody killed, the Charge Gauge fills 1/6th to allow Tiki to transform into her Manakete form. When in Manakete form, for every Heartless or Nobody killed, the Charge Gauge fills 1/6th to allow usage of Tiki's finishing move.  
 _Finishing Move:_ **Elemental Maelstrom** , when the Charge Gauge is full in Tiki's Manakete form, unleash all of Tiki's elemental powers at once in a great burst of magic that destroys all enemies on screen at once.

* * *

 _New Drive Form acquired!_

 **Shadow Form  
** _Form Focus:_ Merge with Marie's spirit to control the power of darkness.  
 _Drive Gauge Points Used:_ **4  
** _Advancing Form Ability_ **:** **Shadow Sneak** (When locked on to an enemy, dash through the shadows to their position to set up a counterattack.)  
 _Action Abilities:  
_ **Dark Scratch:** A quick forward attack with both keyblades, resembling a claw attack.  
 **Spin Strike:** Unleashes a barrage of spinning kick attacks when surrounded.  
 **Shadow Dance:** Unleashes a powerful ground combo finishing move where Nick attacks from all around before diving through the enemy.  
 **Dark Boot:** Kicks the enemy away before dashing right through them in the air.  
 **Giant Wheel:** Nick rapidly spins around with his feet, attacking multiple enemies.  
 **Doom Flash:** Unleashes a powerful air combo finishing move where Nick launches a blast of dark magic below him.  
 **Aerial Recovery:** When knocked down, quickly regain balance.  
 **Retaliating Slash:** When knocked down, quickly regain balance and counterattack.

* * *

On the next episode:

Nick: Hey, wait, is that Nanoha?

Marie: Holy crap, she's flying through the sky like lightning!

Maylin: One of many interesting sights around here.

Haruka: Wait a minute, who or _what_ is that she's fighting?

Marie: I think they're calling themselves the "Wolkenritter".

Maylin: What kind of name is _that_?!

Nick: My question is, what is Axel doing here?

Maylin: Oh, crapbaskets, the Organization's _here_ , too?!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "The Storm of Conflict"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	9. The Storm of Conflict

" _You have one new message."_

" _Hello, this is Ishida from Inari University Hospital. Tomorrow's your birthday, isn't it, Hayate? I wanted to know if you'd like to go out for something to eat after your checkup tomorrow? I'd like it if you could tell me before you come to the hospital. See you tomorrow, Hayate."_

Hayate Yagami couldn't help but smile. Ishida was always so nice.

After wheeling herself back to her bed, Hayate decided to continue reading her book from exactly where she'd left off before. It was a rather interesting tale, this one, of a warrior who was fighting through uncountable terrors simply to find his way home. And along the way, he'd found love, even if it was one of his former enemies.

"Where do they come up with these kind of stories?" Hayate giggled.

Before she could turn the page, however, she noticed that something nearby was glowing with an oppressive dark light, Hayate glanced back and saw that it was coming from a strange book on her shelf, which was apparently sealed by four sets of chains.

And it was floating towards her.

And the book was struggling against its chains.

Hayate backed away as best she could when the chains snapped apart and the book flew open, not really noticing that writing was starting to appear on its blank pages.

Strange chanting began resounding, apparently coming from the _book_ of all things.

Hayate tried to cover her eyes as the book unleashed a flash of blinding light straight for her, only for an oddly-shaped weapon, shaped like a spiky pinwheel, came soaring through the air and placed itself in front of the flash, stopping it from reaching Hayate.

"W-who are you?" Hayate asked as the man walked through a corridor of darkness.

"Oh, you can just call me Axel."

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** Organization XIII is up to their usual shenanigans in a new world, so our keyblade-wielding quartet must stop Axel once again. However, things seem to be different this time, as despite assistance from another of Nick's former summons, Axel has ingratiated himself with a paralyzed nine-year-old who is now the master of the Book of Darkness and its savants, the Wolkenritter. Stranger still, another black-hooded figure accosts them, someone Maylin and Haruka know quite well...

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World:** It's time at long last, after at least three delays due to me getting new ideas and the FIVE MONTHS I spent writing _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario re:_ , we're _finally_ starting the chapter based on _Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's_. Readers of the first adventure will remember that Nanoha was one of Nick's summons there. The events here take place after episode four of As, when Nanoha and Fate got their new devices. ONE MORE THING! I must once again give big thanks to Lonnie Lonnster / AlexisRhodes74 for designing this world's particular keyblade, Excellion Assault.

 **EDIT 7/6/18:** Fixed a mistake of calling the Crimson Jazz the Crimson 'Rock' by accident, and wrote up info on Nanoha's Harmonization, which I COMPLETELY forgot about. Thanks Lonnie Lonnster / AlexisRhodes74 for pointing out those errors!

* * *

Episode 9: The Storm of Conflict

Nanoha looked down over the city as she and Fate flew through the sky in search of any possible attacks by the Wolkenritter. Fate had been the one to suggest that they take some nights out to patrol the city to make sure the Wolkenritter, or worse, the Heartless, weren't up to no good.

"There's one!" Nanoha exclaimed, having just spotted a Large Body marching down a nearby street.

"I got it," Fate quipped, raising her free hand and firing off a golden beam of light that pierced through the Large Body and vaporized it on the spot. "Jeez, there's been a lot more of those things recently."

Nanoha started thinking about possible causes for that, even though she knew that the sudden upswing in Heartless activity had no doubt been quelled by Izanami-no-Mikoto's defeat (Nanoha _had_ been there during that final battle, after all). Add to that the strange white creatures she'd seen every now and then...

"Say, Nanoha?" Fate asked. "You never _did_ tell me what those weird things are."

"They're Heartless," Nanoha answered. "Apparently, they're bad guys created from the darkness of people's hearts. Remember when I was gone for so long?"

"Because our world was devoured by the darkness, right?" Fate stated. "You said you were stuck in a 'summon gem', and the one who was summoning you was fighting the Heartless, right?"

"Pretty much," Nanoha replied. She looked back up and gasped in surprise, having just spotted Vita, one of the Wolkenritter.

"I see her, Nanoha. Let's do this," Fate stated as the two of them flew towards where Vita was.

"How is everything going, Vita? Have you found something yet?"

Vita closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to pinpoint the energy surge she'd just sensed.

"I don't know," Vita admitted. "It's like it's here and not here at the same time. It's a pretty large magical response that's been appearing on and off here for years. If we can find it and catch it, we'll probably gain about twenty pages at once."

"Let's split up and search for it," Zafira proclaimed. "You take the Book."

"Of course," Vita sneered. "You just search as hard as you can, got it?"

"Understood," Zafira responded before disappearing.

Vita spun Graf Eisen around a few times as she summoned her triangle-shaped magic circle, ready to cast her spell.

"Sealing Area, unfold!" Vita exclaimed, creating a bubble of dark magic in the center of the city that eventually began to expand, inexplicably causing everyone that it touched to vanish completely.

"Let's go find that magic surge," Vita giggled, taking off like a bullet through the night sky.

Just as Vita was closing in on her target, Graf Eisen spoke to warn her of an incoming anomaly. Vita turned around just in time to dodge the spinning keyblade that was coming right at her.

The Oathkeeper spun through the air and eventually returned to ground level so that Nick could catch it.

"Man, you've got a great throwing arm, Nick," Marie quipped. "Now I see why the baseball team wanted you to be their pitcher."

"Didn't you turn that offer down, though?" Maylin asked. "Too busy with the soccer team?"

"It was just for one game, Maylin," Haruka retorted. "Their normal pitcher was out with a sickness and they needed a pinch-hitter."

"All right, I'm just going to cut to the chase here," Nick growled, pointing the Oathkeeper threateningly towards Vita. "What are you skulking around here for, and why do you _reek_ of the power of darkness?"

"I really doubt that's any of your business," Vita quipped. "I've got a job to do, so if you don't mind..."

Vita looked at the four keyblade wielders, sighing in irritation. "I guess you do mind."

Fast as lightning, Vita clutched Graf Eisen and darted towards the ground where the group was waiting for them.

"Uh-oh," Marie gasped.

"HIT THE DECK!" Maylin screamed, and all four of them dove away in different directions just as Vita slammed Graf Eisen into the ground where they had just been standing, creating an intense upheaval of rock and granite followed by an explosion of orange energy.

"That was cheap," Marie growled, summoning Rainfell.

"Who ever accused me of playing fair?" Vita cackled. "I really don't want to do this right now, seeing as I have a job to do, but you're in my way. And you're going to be punished for it."

Nick switched his keyblade to Ethereal Light. "Not while we're on the clock."

"And you'd better be ready to _get_ clocked, little brat!" Maylin proclaimed, summoning Counterpoint.

"Better insults, Maylin," Haruka laughed as she summoned Rumbling Rose.

Vita just groaned. This _always_ happened, didn't it? Regardless, she decided to just get this over with quickly. She _did_ want to get back in time for her bath with Hayate, like she did every night.

Vita shook her head, trying to stay focused on the battle even as Nick had launched himself like a bullet straight for her.

Vita swung Graf Eisen to counter Nick's incoming slash, even as he jumped over her to strike a few more times. Though she handily deflected every attack, this gave Maylin a prime opportunity to blast Vita with a Thunder spell and knock her away.

However, Vita recovered quickly, dashing past Maylin to attack Haruka with another upheaval attack, though the brunette easily dodged it.

"Here, see how _you_ like it!" Haruka shouted, slamming Rumbling Rose into the ground and unleashing a Tremor, which sent Vita skyward. Marie was already on the move, leaping off of Haruka's shoulders and vaulting herself into the air to spike Vita back to the ground with an overheard slash from Rainfell.

Nick rushed in before Vita even hit the ground, laying into her with an Ars Arcanum, not knowing that the entire battle was being watched from far away.

"You see, Hayate?" Axel stated as Hayate watched in shock at the battle that was unfolding. "They're trying to hurt your family."

"W-why? Why would someone do that?" Hayate asked from her perch on Axel's shoulders. "And... what can I do about it?"

"Not much at the moment," Axel admitted as he watched Nick leap towards Vita, only to be deflected by a horizontal hammer swing. "But maybe I can get them to back off."

"Argh, stand still, you little brat!" Maylin growled, casting Thundaga to catch Vita off guard from above, but she simply produced a magical barrier to block it.

Vita was about to taunt Maylin, only to be blasted backwards by a rapid-fire Watera burst. She quickly recovered herself, only to find that her hat was missing, having been knocked off in the attack.

"You... you little _bitch, DON'T EVER MESS WITH MY FREAKIN' HAT!_ " Vita screamed, her aura growing stronger and brighter.

"Ooh, I think she's mad," Haruka quipped.

"Well, I'm not sticking around to see how this power-up goes," Nick stated, charging straight for the powering-up Vita, only to be forced to jump back as a pair of spiky chakrams sliced through the air right in front of him.

And Nick recognized them.

"You again!" Nick growled as he jerked his gaze towards Axel, who reached up to catch the Eternal Flames.

"I've got this, Axel! Don't butt in!" Vita shouted, swinging Graf Eisen in frustration. "I told you already, I don't need your help!"

"Hey, if you lose to these kids, who else is going to protect dear little Hayate?" Axel proclaimed, knowing exactly how to push Vita's buttons.

"Don't _even_ give me that crap, Axel," Vita shot back. "You _know_ we can't _ever_ tell her about what the Book of Darkness is doing to her until we can complete the book and cure her."

"I'm sorry, _what_ was that about a 'Book of Darkness'?" Marie proclaimed, raising Rainfell and getting ready to strike.

"Crap, that wasn't in the plan," Vita quipped, raising Graf Eisen again. "I sincerely hope Hayate wasn't listening..."

"You don't need to fret," Axel stated. "I took Hayate back home after I promised her I'd deal with the riff-raff. You really think I'd tell her?"

"Knowing you and the rest of your Organization cronies, you probably would just to rub it in!" Maylin exclaimed, ready to just forgo Vita and attack Axel.

"Me? Hey, I'm not a selfish guy," Axel stated. "I may not have emotions, but I have _standards_ , for crying out loud. I'm not like those other snobs."

"Yeah, yeah, cry me a river," Maylin shot back. "Don't expect us to fall for your lies!"

"You just go find some more pages for the book," Axel quipped, eyeing Vita with an amused expression. "I've got this under control."

Vita was about to go off, but quickly realized that filling up the book took priority. She didn't want Hayate to suffer any more than she already had.

As Vita took off to continue her search, Axel snapped his fingers and summoned a horde of Nobodies to surround the group, mostly Assassins and a few Creepers.

"Have fun, kids," Axel laughed before disappearing through a corridor of darkness.

"Why do they _always_ run?" Marie wondered, slashing through two Creepers as they tried to jump her.

"It's a typical villain shtick," Maylin quipped, leaping over a stab from a nearby Assassin, blasting it with a Thunder spell on the way down. "They always let their mooks fight first before they take the stage."

Haruka danced around another Assassin's attack before splitting it in two with a vertical slash, only to defend herself as five more Assassins approached her.

" _STARLIGHT BREAKER!"_ a familiar voice resounded as a large beam of intense magical energy thundered down from the sky and instantly obliterated the swarm of Assassins, leaving only the Creepers that Marie easily cleaned up.

"Hey, Nanoha, just in time!" Nick exclaimed as Nanoha and Fate floated down from the sky.

"What are you two doing out so late?" Maylin teased.

"We're actually out on patrol," Fate answered. "We're trying to stop the Wolkenritter, one of which you guys just fought. Not to mention the Heartless that keep popping up. ...seriously, how do you guys keep it up for so long?"

"Eh, a hero's work is never done," Maylin laughed, spinning Counterpoint in her hands. "Such is the life of a keyblade wielder."

"I think our top priority is finding which way that hammer chick went," Haruka stated, catching everyone's attention. "If Axel's got a little girl under his thumb, that _can't_ be anything good. God only _knows_ what _lies_ he's feeding her!"

"Good idea," Marie quipped. "Let's go find that girl he kept blabbing about. Maybe then we'll get some info on what's really happening around here."

And so they did, with Nick, Maylin and Haruka following the trail of darkness left by Axel to a local house, and Marie following Nanoha and Fate to track down Vita and the rest of the Wolkenritter.

"Wait, it leads to a _house_?" Maylin wondered. "Okay, that was the last place I was expecting."

"How do you guys propose we get this investigation started?" Haruka asked. "We don't know anything about this girl, after all. And we wouldn't want her thinking we're the enemy, right?"

"Ooh, yeah, _that's_ going to be a problem," Nick sighed.

Before they could begin discussing ideas on how to approach Hayate, pools of darkness surrounded the trio, causing Heartless to spawn all around them, mostly Large Bodies and Nightwalkers, but flanked by a new Heartless, this one being a rather small Heartless that wore long, white robes with black and lilac highlights that covered its feet. It also wore a tall and cylindrical black and grey hat with a white brim and black gloves. The only parts of it not covered by clothing were its spherical blue head and glowing yellow eyes.

"Ooh, I was _hoping_ I'd never see these a-holes again," Maylin groaned as she summoned Counterpoint.

"Runemasters are _annoying_ little buggers," Haruka quipped as she summoned Rumbling Rose. "They're basically souped-up versions of the Bookmaster, only these guys can't be attacked from the front _and_ they're immune to most magic, so the only way to beat it is to go in from behind."

"Okay, then, shall we let Tiki handle these freaks?" Nick asked, clutching the Dragon Charm in his left hand while summoning Exalted One to his right hand.

"Right on!" Maylin exclaimed as Nick held the Dragon Charm to the sky, causing Maylin and Haruka to vanish from sight.

 **("Id ~ Purpose" by Hiroki Morishita plays)**

Nick let go of the Dragon Charm and it floated just above him. Nick raised Exalted One towards the Dragon Charm, and glowing green wings of light burst from either side of the charm, eventually wrapping around it in a cocoon-like fashion. A few seconds passed before the wings opened up, revealing Tiki floating there with a pair of emerald green wings sprouting from her back.

"Shall we commence?" Tiki asked.

"You know it," Nick replied, charging for the horde with Tiki right behind him.

Many Nightwalkers decided to spin through the air and attack directly, but they were met with a burst of fire from Tiki's hands, stunning them just long enough for Nick to spin through the air with a Hurricane Period and finish them off.

A pair of Large Bodies attempted a pincer attack, but Tiki stopped their charge cold with a double lightning bolt attack that dropped both of the Large Bodies, giving Nick ample time to circle around to their backsides and finish them both off with a double swing.

"Pesky pests," Tiki quipped as she snapped her fingers, causing a few of the Nightwalkers to explode into dark particles thanks to eruptions of fire. "Begone!"

Once the horde was clear, another swarm appeared, this one of Nobodies, featuring Dusks, Assassins, and a few Savages.

"Oh, come _on_ with this bunk!" Nick shouted.

"They shall not get past us," Tiki proclaimed, her wings growing in size and surrounding her like a cocoon. A few seconds later, the wings retracted to reveal Tiki had transformed into her Manakete form.

Tiki gestured her head to Nick, and he got the message quickly, jumping onto Tiki's back and holding on as she barreled towards the swarm of Nobodies.

Tiki simply swiped at any Nobodies that dared get close to her, breathing fire to get rid of any long-range pests while Nick played fire support, blasting at Dusks and Savages with spells from far away.

After a few more rounds of this magical assault, both Nick and Tiki silently agreed it was time to end this battle. Tiki concentrated her magical powers, surrounding her dragon body with flashes of fire and electricity, while Nick channeled his ice and water powers.

As more Nobodies closed in on them, Nick and Tiki unleashed their maelstrom of elemental might in the form of a four-element shockwave that spread out from them at the speed of lightning, instantly vaporizing the horde upon contact.

Once the area was calm again, Tiki returned to her normal self and bowed to Nick before returning herself to the Dragon Charm.

"Seriously, this is getting _really_ annoying," Maylin groaned once she and Haruka had returned. "Can't we go _anywhere_ without these freaks popping up?! I thought Heartless activity had slowed down since we locked up Kingdom Hearts!"

"Yeah, that's pretty strange," Haruka admitted, mentally brainstorming possible causes of the recent upswing in Heartless activity.

At first, she thought it might have something to do with Organization XIII, as they were clearly up to no good wherever they walked.

But then, a certain other possibility came to mind...

 _It couldn't be,_ Haruka thought. _Is_ _ **she**_ _still mucking around?_

"Quite impressive," a voice proclaimed. The trio spun around just in time to witness another black-hooded figure walking out from a corridor of darkness. "You clearly are as strong as we believed you to be."

"Um, thanks, I think?" Haruka quipped.

"By the way, have any of you seen a man named Axel?" Saïx asked. "I expect he may be mucking around here somewhere."

"Ask me if I care, nutball," Nick shot back, bringing Exalted One into a fighting stance.

"You see, Axel is no longer acting in the best interests of the Organization," Saïx proclaimed.

"What, you guys havin' a fight or something?" Maylin taunted.

"Not a very organized Organization, if you ask me," Nick stated.

"Do not let your guard down, boy," Saïx warned, pointing towards Nick. "Axel will stop at nothing to turn you into a Heartless."

"Wait, why?" Haruka asked. "Is that another part of whatever your endgame is?"

"All I am permitted to say is that you harbor something that Axel wants," Saïx responded.

"Well, thanks for looking out for our well-being, mister hood, but I'm sure we can take care of ourselves just fine _by_ ourselves," Nick proclaimed. "We're growing up, don't ya know."

"That is good to hear," Saïx admitted. "Axel aside, our hearts would break if anything were to happen to you."

"Wait, _hearts_? Don't make me laugh!" Maylin shot back, summoning Counterpoint. "You numbnuts don't _have_ hearts!"

"That is true. But," Saïx stated, dropping his hood to reveal his long and spiky blue hair and an X-shaped scar across his face. "We _do_ remember what it was like. That makes us special."

"And that means...?" Haruka wondered.

"We know very well how to _injure_ a heart," Saïx replied, another corridor of darkness opening behind him. "Nick, you just keep on fighting the Heartless."

"Hey, fearless leader, should we jump on in after him?" Maylin asked.

"Why?" Haruka wondered.

"I'm not one hundred percent, but I have a feeling he may lead us to the Organization's current squatting grounds," Maylin answered.

"Don't be reckless," Saïx admonished. "Unless you wish to end up like your precious queen?"

Before Nick could question who Saïx was talking about, the Luna Diviner had already bowed out through the corridor and disappeared.

"What the _hell_ was he talking about?" Maylin wondered. "He said something about a 'queen'. Did he mean Elyon?"

"And the rabbit hole just gets deeper," Nick sighed.

"Woooooooooooow..."

Nick followed the clearly awe-struck voice to the second floor bedroom window of the house, where a girl no older than nine years old was gazing down at them, having clearly witnessed Nick and Tiki cleaning house.

"Did you just summon a girl that turned into a _dragon_?!" Hayate exclaimed. "That's so cool!"

"You... saw all of that, didn't you?" Haruka quipped.

"How could I not, with all that noise?" Hayate asked. "Is everything all right down there now?"

"Should be," Nick replied.

"Hey, why don't you come on in?" Hayate offered. "I don't think you'd want to stand out in the cold all night."

"Wait, is that okay with your parents?" Maylin asked. "Especially _this_ late?"

Maylin immediately regretted asking that when she saw a few tears forming in Hayate's eyes. "I-I didn't say something wrong, did I?" Maylin added immediately.

"No, no, I know you didn't mean anything bad by it," Hayate admitted. "It's just... I'm all on my own. My parents are gone."

Now Maylin really felt bad, knowing that Hayate had lost her parents like Maylin had lost hers.

"Oh, man, I am _so sorry_..."

"And I said it's all right," Hayate countered. "You didn't know, honestly."

"But now I feel bad because... well, _my_ parents are dead, too," Maylin answered. "I didn't want you to feel the same sadness I did..."

"I'll be okay," Hayate admitted. "I've got some real nice people looking out for me, so I think I'll be all right."

That got the trio thinking, as they instantly suspected Axel and the Wolkenritter. Along with that came the thoughts of what exactly the "Book of Darkness" that Vita had mentioned was.

"Well? Come on up! You don't wanna catch a cold out there, do you?" Hayate giggled.

"Good point," Nick quipped. "Come on, girls, let's head in."

"One second, fearless leader," Haruka whispered. "What do we do if we run into Axel or those Wolkenritter people up there? I'm pretty sure they're all connected to what's been happening."

"We'll just play along until we get a chance to interrogate them," Nick responded. "I don't want Hayate getting caught in the crossfire."

"Roger that," Maylin proclaimed.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the headquarters of Organization XIII, Saix exited his corridor of darkness to his seat in the White Room, where the Organization's leader was watching events unfold.

"Lord Xemnas," Saix proclaimed. "I passed on the message as you so desired. I told the boy to keep defeating the Heartless."

"Good. Not only do you have the power to inflict pain, you also hold the ability to plant seeds of doubt into a receptive heart," Xemnas proclaimed even as Saix lowered his head. "Nick will soon begin to doubt himself. It will make him hesitate, and that will turn to anger. This anger will drive him to rid himself of his apprehension and move forward, paving the way for the future we desire."

"There is something... I have been meaning to ask," Saix began.

"About Axel, I assume?" Xemnas responded. "The poor fool. How long will he continue to chase the illusion of friendship when he lacks emotions? He tries so hard to retrieve what he has lost, even when it may never have existed in the first place. He truly deserves nothing but our pity."

* * *

"Um, Hayate, I hope I'm not nitpicking, but..." Maylin wondered as she watched Hayate wheel herself back to her bed. None of them had been ready to find out that Hayate was a paraplegic, having lost the use of her legs long ago.

"Maylin, for the fiftieth time, it's all right," Hayate responded. She honestly had no idea why Maylin was apologizing so much. "I've pretty much accepted it by this point."

If Maylin was being honest with herself, she really felt like crying now that she knew most of what had happened to Hayate.

"Hey, Maylin, you okay?" Haruka asked, having noticed the tears that were falling from Maylin's eyes.

The young mage threw herself at Hayate almost instantly, causing the younger girl to squeak in surprise when Maylin hugged her so tightly that she was afraid something would happen to her if she let go.

"M-Maylin?" Hayate gasped.

"Oh, Hayate," Maylin sobbed. "I can't even _imagine_ the pain you've been through... I probably couldn't even _bear_ that kind of trauma, especially at your age..."

"Oh, I'm not that strong," Hayate giggled.

"You _definitely_ are, Hayate," Nick interjected. "Despite everything you've suffered, you've never let it get you down. "You're so much stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"Well, I _do_ have a bunch of great people watching over me," Hayate replied. "I have them to thank for everything they've given me."

As Maylin let Hayate go, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a super spell coin. "Hayate, I want to try something, if it's okay with you," Maylin proclaimed.

"Maylin, are you sure about this?" Haruka wondered, having guessed what Maylin wanted to do with her super spell. "You know you've never used a Cure spell like this before."

"Hey, if I never try, how will I know if it works?" Maylin countered.

Hayate just nodded and leaned back on her bed. "Let's give it a shot, then," Hayate answered.

With Hayate's approval, Maylin tossed her spell coin into the air and began to spin Counterpoint dramatically. _"Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! CURAJA!"_ Maylin chanted.

As the coin fell back down, Maylin sliced Counterpoint through the air to strike the coin, its ancient letters shining with a bright green light, and a column of emerald light descended from above to surround Hayate's body. A few seconds passed before the column disappeared, and everything around the group was silent.

Hayate was about to ask if the spell had worked the way Maylin intended, when she suddenly felt a strange feeling in her legs.

Wait.

Still unsure, Hayate slowly hopped off of the bed and stood up. She was naturally a little wobbly, but she could actually stand on her own two feet. She slowly glanced up at Maylin, tears forming in her eyes as the implications finally began to sink in.

"I... I can walk?" Hayate gasped. "I can walk! I can actually walk!"

In almost a complete reversal of a few minutes ago, Hayate threw herself into Maylin's embrace, her own tears falling freely. "Thank you _so much_ , Maylin!"

"Holy cow, that actually worked," Haruka quipped. "And now I see why you wanted to use a super spell coin for that."

"I knew a super spell would be the only thing that had enough juice to pull it off," Maylin admitted.

"Hey, Hayate, is everything okay?" Vita asked, pushing her way through the nearby door. "I heard you shouting and I wasn't sure if..."

Vita stopped in her tracks upon seeing Nick, Maylin, and Haruka again, and something about seeing Hayate in Maylin's arms compelled her to summon Graf Eisen instantly.

"YOU AGAIN!" Vita growled.

The trio immediately went on the defensive, summoning their keyblades in response.

"What are _you_ doing here, miss beanie?!" Maylin proclaimed.

"I should be asking _you_ that, you wretches!" Vita shot back. "If you hurt Hayate in _any_ way, I swear to god, I'll tear your damn _heads_ off!"

"Vita, stop! You don't need to hurt them!" Hayate exclaimed, wiggling out of Maylin's embrace to rush over to Vita. "They're not bad people!"

Vita would have responded to that if she hadn't noticed, well, Hayate _running_ towards her. "W-wait, Hayate, how are you walking right now? I-I thought..."

"Maylin used one of her spells to heal me!" Hayate explained. "I was worried about what they wanted when I saw them fighting you, but... Vita, they healed me! I can walk again because of them! Anyone who would do that for me couldn't _possibly_ be bad people!"

 _Hold on a second, so their magic can bypass the power of the Book of Darkness?_ Vita thought. _I thought there was nothing in this world that could stop it unless all the pages were collected! ...maybe it's because they're not_ _ **from**_ _this world. Those keyblades of theirs are_ _ **clearly**_ _not from around here..._

"Wait, then why were you fighting Axel earlier?" Vita asked. "He's only trying to help Hayate."

"That's what he _wants_ you to think," Maylin countered. "Axel is actually part of this gang of hooded hoodlums called Organization XIII, and _they are not to be trusted_."

"The Organization is a bunch of Nobodies, the cast-off shell of someone who's lost their heart to the darkness," Haruka explained. "They're spreading chaos and bedlam throughout the worlds in hopes of attaining a god-like power known as Kingdom Hearts."

"And to make things worse, they don't technically have emotions, since they don't have hearts," Nick continued. "Who knows what lies he was feeding to you and Hayate to get what he wanted?"

"Wait, so... he _lied_ to us?!" Vita growled, clutching the handle of Graf Eisen so tightly she was worried she'd break it. "Ooh, that little bastard... just _wait_ until I get my hands on him!"

"You'll have to get in line on that one," Nick answered. "We should probably link up with Nanoha and Fate and go find Axel before he causes any more trouble."

Before the group could leave, however, a bright flash caught everyone's attention. Nick glanced over to the source of the flash, the nearby bookshelf, and saw that one book in particular was floating in the air, a shining keyhole having appeared on its front cover.

Nick was already on the move before Vita or Hayate could question the strange sight, summoning the Oathkeeper and firing a beam of light from its teeth into the keyhole, sealing it off with a loud click. Once the keyhole had vanished, the book returned to its place on the shelf.

"Oooooooookay..." Vita quipped.

"Long story short, we just sealed off this world's keyhole, so it can't be destroyed by the Heartless," Nick answered. "But right now, we'd really better double-time it to wherever Nanoha and Fate and Marie are, before trouble pops up like it always does."

And so, the entire group left Hayate's house, Hayate promising to stay close to Vita, not knowing that they were being watched by another hooded figure.

Upon following the trail of magic to the park, they saw that Nanoha, Fate, and Marie were already engaged in battle with a group of Heartless, consisting of two Large Bodies and a bunch of Lance Soldiers, along with a small army of tiny ball-like Heartless that looked like small meteors.

"Get _off_ , you freak show!" Marie shouted, slashing upwards with Rainfell to dislodge a Lance Soldier that had been trying to mount her. As a group of Fiery Globes approached her, Marie held Rainfell out, charging it with her new dark powers. As the Fiery Globes lunged, Marie began to spin rapidly, the energy surrounding Rainfell expanding outwards into a spiral of darkness that eradicated the Fiery Globes on contact.

"Ah, the classic Zelda spin attack _never_ gets old!" Marie giggled. "Wait, wait, could Zelda actually _exist_ as one of these other worlds? Ooh, that'd be AWESOME if I could actually..."

Marie's thoughts were derailed when a fiery shockwave blasted her backwards, forcing her to cut a flip to regain her footing. When she was able to catch sight of her attackers, she saw three Heartless in front of her.

One had a smooth and conical turquoise body with a Heartless emblem emblazoned on its chest. The top of its body flared outward and formed a jagged "collar" below its spherical, pitch black head. It was also wearing a conical, light green hat with a jagged brim and a thin, curled, sky blue tip. The second one looked similar, but had a white body with a reddish-brown hat and silver rings decorating it. The third one also resembled the others, but was much larger and had a red body, a yellow flame pattern decorating its base, and a red hat that was yellow on the inside.

"Okay, the magic knights came to play," Marie quipped.

"Um, please don't say 'magic knights', otherwise I'm gonna get bad memories of Gauche trying to gut me," Maylin groaned. "It wasn't my fault that his sister wanted to hug me for saving her! Just glad Asta was there to pry him off of me..."

Maylin took a good look at the three mage Heartless that floated in front of them, and she immediately summoned Counterpoint. "Oh, no, no, nononononono, not THESE stupid things..."

"Are these ones annoying?" Nick wondered, summoning Ethereal Light to his hands.

"Oh, you have no idea, Nick," Haruka replied, summoning Rumbling Rose. "The turquoise one is an Emerald Blues, basically a wind mage. They can create tornadoes and Aero shields, but that's basically it, so get in there before they can blow you away. The silver one is a Silver Rock. They're not too annoying, but they like to turn into lights and charge you. If you can pin them down, you can actually throw them at other enemies. The red one, and by far the biggest pain in our keesters, is the Crimson Jazz, a fire mage like the Red Nocturne, only MUCH stronger. It can lay down explosive mines and use fire shockwaves rapid-fire, and it likes to spam those moves, so **_kill it quickly_**."

"Hit 'em fast and hard? Roger that," Nick replied, the blade of Ethereal Light glowing a bright orange as he rushed in to attack the Crimson Jazz and get the most annoying one out of the way.

While Nick attacked the Crimson Jazz, Haruka moved in to fight the Emerald Blues, backstepping the instant it surrounded itself with an Aero shield, only for Maylin to blast through it with a Thunder spell, leaving it open for Haruka to move in and start wailing on it.

However, the Silver Rock made its presence known by flying in and slamming its body into Haruka multiple times, keeping her from attacking any further.

"Okay, screw _this_ ," Haruka growled, holding Rumbling Rose out and actually switching to a different keyblade. This keyblade's blade was a red, single-edged sword with a white inner edge. A yellow wing sweeping around it formed the teeth. The hilt blended into more grey with the symbol of a rainbow-colored ring in the middle. The handle was a deep red, and the guard was another sweeping wing, colored blue and circling around the handle but not connecting. The token was a shooting star with a prominent bow shock, connected by a keychain made of three silver sunbursts.

"Chew on _this_ , freaks!" Haruka shouted, spinning around in her place with Divewing and creating a typhoon of sorts around her as she did so. The Silver Rock and Emerald Blues attempted to escape, but were caught up in the Windcutter attack and instantly shredded.

Even as the Crimson Jazz continued to lay down fiery mines in Nick's path, he ducked and weaved through all of them, jumping over a flaming shockwave and lashing out with an Ars Arcanum the instant his feet touched the ground.

However, the Crimson Jazz didn't seem to flinch from any of Nick's attacks, unleashing a shockwave in the middle of his combo to blow him back.

"Oh, fantastic, it's got super armor," Nick groaned. "Maylin, can you provide covering fire?"

"All over it, fearless leader!" Maylin responded, hanging back to blast the Crimson Jazz with Thunder spells even as it continued to advance.

It was at this point that Nick noticed a large concentration of sparkles hanging every which way around the battlefield. Nanoha seemed ready to absorb them like she usually did for her finishing move, but this time around, Nick saw an opportunity.

"Hey, Nanoha, can you come here for a second?" Nick asked. Nanoha did so, weaving through the dive-bombing Fiery Globes that kept spawning in alongside more Lance Soldiers. "I know you usually absorb the wayward magic to use your Starlight Breaker, but... could I actually try something?"

"Sure," Nanoha giggled as Nick let his hand rest gently on her head. A silver ring of light surrounded Nick's body as he prepared himself.

 **("Harmony" by Timbaland feat. Dalton Diehl plays)**

" _Harmonization Ready!"_ Nick shouted, the ring of light expanding and shattering. All of the wayward magic particles strewn about the battlefield were drawn in to Nick's outfit, causing his body to glow with a bright light.

"All right, let's get down to business!" Nick proclaimed, his voice echoing slightly as he rushed back in to unleash another Ars Arcanum on the Crimson Jazz. As he did so, not only did Ethereal Light leave orange trails of light with each swing, but each hit caused a small explosion of magic sparks on the Crimson Jazz, which was actually flinching from Nick's attacks now.

One final jumping slash finally eradicated the Crimson Jazz, making Nick turn his attention to the Fiery Globes and Lance Soldiers that were surrounding him.

"Oh, yeah, you're all in trouble now," Nick challenged, moving in to attack, Ethereal Light trailing sparkles of magic with each swing and its blade surrounded by a larger blade of light, increasing Nick's attack range.

With his superpowered offense, it wasn't long before Nick made short work of the rest of the Heartless horde.

"Wow," Vita admitted. "That was pretty slick."

"Definitely, huh?"

Everyone present tensed up at this new voice just as Axel appeared through a corridor of darkness.

"I gotta admit, you've got skills," Axel laughed.

"Ooh, I've been waiting for you," Vita growled, summoning Graf Eisen. "Now get over here so I can bend your head _straight downwards_ for lying to Hayate!"

"Lying?" Axel asked, looking genuinely confused. "Hey, I wasn't lying to her. I said I'd help her with this whole Book of Darkness thing, and I intend to keep doing so. I may not have a heart, but I'm a man of my word."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before, buddy," Maylin proclaimed. "How about we just get to the fight? Because we _all_ know that's what you're here for."

"Now you're talking my lingo," Axel laughed, raising his hands and calling the Eternal Flames to materialize.

"Nanoha, Fate, you hang back and stay with Vita and Hayate, okay?" Haruka proclaimed. "We don't want Hayate getting hurt."

"Yeah, because this is gonna get _real_ ugly, _real_ fast," Maylin proclaimed, switching from Counterpoint to Stormfall.

Axel simply readied himself. "Come here. I'll make it _all_ stop."

With that, all four keyblade wielders charged for Axel.

Axel was the first to go on the attack, tossing the Eternal Flames like boomerangs, the spiked wheels cutting through the air and quickly returning to Axel with each toss. Nick batted the chakrams away each time they flew towards him, waiting for an opportunity to move in closer.

"Had enough?" Axel taunted.

"Buddy, do you even _know_ who you're messing with?!" Maylin shouted, dashing in and juking around another chakram throw to land a few hits on Axel's prone form. Axel responded by sliding around to Maylin's backside and spinning his chakrams in a spiral attack, the weapons surrounded by fire as he wielded them. Maylin was surprised by the attack and knocked forward a few feet, but landed gracefully and none the worse for wear.

"Okay, _now_ I'm mad," Maylin growled as her body began to glow with a bright aquatic blue light as she raised Stormfall, which also was enshrouded in the same glow.

 **("Kocchi wo Muite" by Yukana Nogami plays)**

" _Style Change: Spellweaver!"_ Maylin proclaimed. Light exploded outwards from Maylin's body, forcing the Omen to shield her eyes as best she could.

When the light died down, Maylin was floating slightly off the ground, still surrounded by that radiant glow. Even her eyes were twinkling with the light of a star. Stormfall was floating by her right hand, being telekinetically controlled by Maylin with this new power of hers.

"Time to eat your words, mister pyro!" Maylin shouted, her voice echoing as she rushed Axel, swinging Stormfall in wide, sweeping attacks. The keyblade actually spun around as she swung it, further adding to the damage it was causing. Maylin finished her combo by aiming Stormfall for Axel and firing off a large sphere of light that did multiple hits worth of damage and caused Axel to back away.

"You honestly think I'm going to let you hit me with that finisher?" Axel taunted, only to fall to his knees when Marie rushed in to slash Rainfell across his back.

"There," Marie proclaimed. "Maylin, do your thing!"

"You _know_ it!" Maylin proclaimed. Energy began to gather around Stormfall, and Maylin began to spin around like a ballet dancer, spirals of light surrounding her as she did so and lifting Axel into the air with each hit.

After about seven straight seconds of spinning, Maylin finished with a swift flourish of Stormfall that created a large ice crystal above her, which instantly shattered and created a shockwave that sent Axel crashing to the ground.

"You done yet?!" Maylin challenged.

"Not even close!" Axel laughed as he lifted his chakrams over his head and channeled fire energy into them.

"BURN, BABY!" Axel shouted, slamming his chakrams into the ground. This created a large ring of fire around the field, effectively trapping them where they were.

The ground under the combatants transformed into a surface of magma and cinder, and even though Nick wasn't being burned alive (most likely due to his keyblade's power), he did feel his energy slowly draining.

 _This again?_ Nick thought, charging into battle.

Axel tossed his chakrams like boomerangs, though Nick simply ducked and weaved to avoid the sharp pinwheels before moving in for an attack of his own.

"You won't forget _this_!" Axel shouted, fire energy surrounding his body as he began to attack like mad, his chakrams whipping through the air from multiple directions and striking Nick multiple times before he could react.

After a few rounds of this, Axel leaped into the air before tossing his chakrams into the ground, this action causing jets of flame to shoot up from the ground and send Nick crashing to his knees.

"You know, this seems pretty familiar, doesn't it?" Axel taunted, raising one of his chakrams and slashing forwards, only for Nick to quickly get back to his feet and swing Ethereal Light to deflect the attack.

"Yeah, but this is where things differ," Nick shot back. "You simply caught me off guard last time."

"Well, then, how about you show me your moves?!" Axel proclaimed.

Not waiting for any sort of answer, Nick rushed forward, performing a Slapshot that knocked Axel into the air. Nick followed quickly, the two trading blows for a couple seconds until Nick was able to knock Axel back to the ground with an overhead slash.

Pouncing on his chance, Nick fell back to the ground and drove the point of Ethereal Light into Axel's chest, causing pillars of light to erupt from around Axel that cleared away the magma floor and allowed Nick to slowly regain his strength.

"See? Round two isn't gonna be anywhere _near_ the same," Nick stated.

"Yeah, but how is round _three_ going to go?" Axel taunted, preparing for another barrage of attacks.

"Probably like this," Haruka quipped as her body and Divewing both began to glow with a bright pink light.

 **("My Best Friend" by Yui Horie plays)**

" _Style Change: Wingblade!"_ Haruka shouted, the pink light surrounding her exploding outwards. When the flash died down, Haruka was floating slightly off the ground, the glow surrounding her and the six pink energy swords floating just behind her in the position of angel wings making her look like an angel.

"Now we'll see who has the last laugh, pyro boy!" Haruka exclaimed, rushing towards Axel before he could get the Eternal Flames up to defend himself.

Haruka began to attack rapidly, swinging Divewing in wide, sweeping strikes and stabs. As she did so, the six energy swords she'd gained also began to attack in seemingly random patterns with each strike Haruka made, as if they had a will of their own.

When her combo was finished, Haruka ended off by stabbing four of her blades forward at once, then leaping into the air and performing a powerful downward slash with the last two energy blades and Divewing, causing a burst of wind to erupt from the point of impact and drive Axel back.

"Had enough?" Haruka taunted even as she weaved through the chakram that Axel was now throwing at her.

"Oh, I'm just getting started!" Axel laughed, snapping his fingers. Haruka wisely dove backwards to avoid the explosion of flames that occurred where she'd been just a second ago.

"Good, because so am I," Haruka proclaimed, charging in to attack Axel a few more times, only to jump back as Maylin fired off a Watera spell, blasting Axel in the back with giant water bubbles and momentarily stunning him.

Not intending to waste this chance, Haruka leaped into the air, then gestured to the ground with her free hand. Her six energy swords responded to this by launching themselves back to the ground and planting themselves in a circle formation around the stunned Axel. For the finale, Haruka practically teleported back to the ground and slammed her palm into the floor in the center of the circle. The energy blades emitted magic runes before unleashing a powerful shockwave that sent Axel flying.

"Are you gonna give it up now?" Haruka asked. "Because it looks like you're getting stomped!"

"I'll admit, I may have underestimated you brats," Axel admitted. "But I'm not giving up so easily! Now prepare to be _roasted_!"

"Axel, stop!"

And sure enough, Axel stopped in his tracks when he heard Hayate's plea.

"You were so nice to me, Axel," Hayate stated, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. "You promised you'd help me with all of this. Was that... was this all just another game to you?!"

Axel honestly didn't know what to say. To this day, he still didn't understand why Hayate reminded Axel so much of...

"Yeah, fire man, tell her how you _lied_ ," Maylin proclaimed, clenching her fist around the handle of Stormfall, which was still glowing.

"It _wasn't_ a lie, I told you that!" Axel shouted. "After everything I've done to help her, you _honestly_ think that I was just leading her on?!"

"That's what you whackjobs do, isn't it?!" Maylin shot back, wondering why Axel was getting so worked up. "You lie and deceive just because it's all you're _good for_!"

Before Axel could attack Maylin in response to that taunt, Hayate screamed loudly, and to the rest of the group, it was easy to see why: a massive horde of Dusks were swarming around her, their intent pretty obvious.

"Okay, _that's_ just cruel!" Haruka exclaimed, starting to move towards the horde, only to be cut off by Axel throwing the Eternal Flames, surrounded by fire energy, through the air to cut down a bunch of the Dusks.

Axel continued to toss his chakrams around, obliterating any Dusk who even dared take a step towards Hayate, even creating pillars of fire that shredded through the Dusks at an alarming rate without even touching Hayate.

Naturally, Nick was confused. "Um, do _any_ of you understand this?" Nick asked. "Why is he fighting his own foot soldiers just to protect Hayate?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, honestly," Marie quipped.

Even though Axel was cutting a swath through the legions of Dusks, they still kept spawning in, threatening to overwhelm him before long.

"I'll admit, I actually liked it better when they were on my side," Axel laughed, spinning his chakrams around him to dispatch another trio of Dusks.

"Feeling regret there, dude?" Maylin taunted.

"Not even. I can handle these punks," Axel proclaimed. "Vita, get Hayate out of here."

Despite everything that had just happened, Vita realized that Hayate's safety was top priority, and decided to oblige, jumping in to ferry Hayate out of the swarm of Dusks so Axel could jump to the center of the horde.

The Eternal Flames began to spin around him, generating large, concussive bursts of fire. After a loud, particularly rage-filled scream, Axel threw his arms out, causing a maelstrom of fire to erupt from his body at an alarming rate, expanding outwards and obliterating dozens upon dozens of Dusks on contact.

"GET BACK!" Maylin shouted, casting a large-scale Reflega spell to protect all four keyblade wielders from the maelstrom.

Once the hellstorm had faded, not a single Dusk remained, and Axel was lying on the ground, too drained to even move.

"Axel!" Hayate exclaimed, rushing over to Axel's side, only now noticing that Axel's body was beginning to fade, bits and pieces of himself flowing off his body in streams of darkness.

"Are... are you fading away?" Hayate asked.

"To be fair... that's pretty much what happens when you put your entire being into an attack like that," Axel admitted, his voice weak. "You know? Not that Nobodies like me... actually... _have_ beings, right? But... I digress. Tell the other Wolkenritter... that I'm sorry, okay?"

"You can tell them yourself," Hayate replied, tears falling again.

"I... I think I'll pass," Axel stated. "My heart wouldn't be in it, ya know? After all, I don't have one."

Axel, despite his rapidly fading body, sat himself up so he could hug Hayate, a hug that she desperately returned.

"Axel... my friends said that the Organization is a bunch of bad people... if that's true, then... what were _you_ trying to do?" Hayate asked. "Why were you so nice to _me_ , of all people?"

"I guess... you remind me a lot of Roxas," Axel admitted. "If I'm being honest... he was the only one of those jokers I actually liked... he made me feel... like I had a heart. It's funny, kinda, but..."

Axel pulled back so he could look at Hayate. "...that's the reason I liked you, Hayate. You make me feel... the same... way..."

Hayate tried desperately to cling to Axel, silently begging him not to leave her, but the Flurry of Dancing Flames had spoken his last, his body dissolving into nothingness and fading back into the darkness.

"All right, _now_ I'm _really_ confused," Maylin proclaimed. "What the heck just _happened_ there?!"

"I think Axel just saved Hayate's life," Haruka answered. " _Why_ , though, _that's_ the riddle for the ages."

Nick, however, was silently thinking. Something about recent events was swimming in his mind.

The way Demyx had flinched back in reflexive _fear_ of Maylin's wrath back on ALfheim Online.

The way Larxene had actually _blushed_ at his 'out-of-the-box' tactic back at the Shepherd's Camp.

The way Axel had thrown himself into the fray, even _sacrificing his very being_ to _protect_ Hayate from hordes of _his own_ foot soldiers.

"Something on your mind, big bro?" Marie asked.

"Well... what just happened got me thinking," Nick answered. "The Oracle told us that Nobodies don't possess hearts, because those hearts were taken from them.. But what's bugging me... well, this may sound crazy, but..."

"Hey, you know I'm always willing to listen to whatever 'harebrained schemes' you plot up, Nick," Marie giggled. "So, scheme away."

"Okay, here's my theory," Nick continued. "Nobodies technically don't have hearts, right? But, and this is the crazy part... who's to say they can't grow _new_ hearts to replace the ones they've lost?"

"Wow, _new_ hearts?" Marie asked. "Is that even possible?"

"Like I said, it's just a theory, but it would make sense why some of the Organization members acted like this," Nick replied. "Like how Demyx was so scared of an angry Maylin, why Larxene blushed when I kissed her to distract her, and why Axel acted so protective of Hayate."

Marie ran that thought through her mind as the group began to walk Hayate back to her house. Nobodies that didn't have hearts, but could grow new ones.

Did that mean the remaining members of the Organization could, too?

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the White Room, Xigbar couldn't help but chuckle as he heard what had just gone down.

"Oh, man, I really thought I'd get some kind of enjoyment watching Axel throw his final tantrum, but he went down pretty quietly. A lot more than I thought he had in him," Xigbar stated.

Luxord flipped through the cards in his hands as he gave his two cents. "Maybe he was ready for it after all," Luxord admitted. "Perhaps he put his existence on the line and somehow won everything he'd been longing for."

"Hold on just a second," Xigbar interjected. "How would that be possible? We don't actually exist, remember? What you're suggesting goes against all laws of nature."

Luxord tossed a card half-heartedly. "Then he most likely bet his _non_ -existence," Luxord stated. "Either way, he came out a winner. Oh, Axel, a grifter to the very end."

Saix simply stared at the floor, questioning the weird thoughts of his partners. "How absurd," Saix proclaimed. "He won nothing. He IS _nothing_. Axel couldn't stand the emptiness of not having a heart, and he recklessly threw his life away. Foolishness and weakness is a horrible combination."

"However," Xemnas replied. "Weakness has the power to awaken that which lies dormant. However foolish Axel's actions may have been, he has touched the boy's heart."

Xemnas stared down at the lowest empty seat, knowing who belonged there. "Perhaps it will soon be time for him to awaken."

* * *

"I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted when you guys first got here," Vita stated once they'd returned to Hayate's house. "I had no idea that Axel was playing us all for fools..."

"Like I said, that's what the Organization does, messes with your heads," Haruka answered. "But, that's why we're out there, protecting the worlds from their tyranny and madness."

"And... well... thank you for healing Hayate," Vita replied. "I didn't think it could be done unless we completed the Book of Darkness, but your magic is definitely something else."

"Anything to help out!" Maylin proclaimed.

"We'll offer any help we can with this Book of Darkness," Fate proclaimed.

"It can only be destroyed in a certain way, so we'll just have to play it by ear until we can find a way to get rid of it," Vita proclaimed. "I don't want that thing hurting Hayate any more than it already has."

Nanoha floated down from beside Fate to hand Nick a trinket. "Hey, Fate wanted me to give you this," Nanoha stated. "I think she believes you'll be better at using it than we were."

Nick reached out to accept the trinket and attach it to the keychain of Ethereal Light, causing the keyblade to transform into a new one. The hilt of this keyblade was based on the yellow casing around the crystal of Nanoha's Device, Raising Heart, with a glowing rod in place of the crystal as the handle. The blade was silver like Vita's Graf Eisen, and the teeth were shaped like a dark green axe with spikes on the back, resembling Fate's Device, Bardiche. The keychain token was shaped like the two Devices' inactive forms, the red marble of Raising Heart over Bardiche's triangle-shaped charm. The words _Excellion Assault_ resounded in Nick's mind.

"I'm really liking the designs on these new keyblades," Nick admitted.

Nick was about to ask Maylin about her own opinion, but hesitated when he saw her odd expression, half-frightened, half-angry, and half-confused (despite Nick's realization that _that's too many halves_ ). Wondering what she was so concerned about, Nick followed Maylin's gaze, now realizing that Haruka was looking at the same spot, with the same combination of expressions.

When Nick finally caught a good glimpse at what they were staring at, Nick immediately raised Excellion Assault in preparation.

It was another hooded figure, wearing the exact same black cloak that everyone from Organization XIII did. The only difference was, this hooded figure was carrying a rather demonic-looking keyblade.

This keyblade had a dark black handle with a raised spiral carved around it. Its pommel and guard resembled black, demonic wings. The base of the blade was an etching of a goat, and the shaft was formed from two black, barbed blades, etched with a white icon resembling a bramble of thorns. The teeth were formed in the shape of a demonic wing, and was set with what appeared to be an eye of darkness. The keychain was made of small, grey links, and the token was an entangled, grey talisman with an additional eye of darkness.

 _I don't know if it's just the sight of it, or some kind of weird aura that this hooded weirdo has, but why does the mere_ _ **sight**_ _of that keyblade give me the heebie jeebies?_ Nick thought.

"Just what the hell are _you_ doing back here?!" Maylin shouted. "Didn't you have enough after the last time we stomped you?!"

"You two, of all people, should understand why I'm here," the figure responded, raising No Name slightly.

"You two know _this_ particular weirdo?" Nick wondered.

"Ooh, she's been a pain in our asses for a long time, Nick," Maylin explained. "We kinda had a few adventures of our own while you were back in Heatherfield, and this psycho was the cause of them."

"As far as I can tell, she's not with the Organization, but she's been spreading chaos on her own because there's _something_ she believes she needs to fix," Haruka continued. "And for the life of us, she won't say what it is."

"You don't _need_ to know," the figure retorted. "That's all I have to say."

"Does she have a name?" Marie asked.

"She won't tell us _that_ , either," Maylin replied. "So we've just taken to calling her the Mysterious Figure until we can squeeze her real name out of her."

"And you _still_ haven't told us where you got that keyblade!" Haruka shouted, pointing accusingly at No Name.

The Mysterious Figure simply chuckled. "Very well, then. It seems you will not be dissuaded," the Mysterious Figure proclaimed. "You _both_ understand where this keyblade comes from, do you not? The most ancient keyblade in history, passed down from master to apprentice through the ages to ensure its survival."

"You're not answering the real question, numbnut!" Maylin growled. "Didn't that _thing_ get destroyed?!"

"Yes, but my darkness called it back into existence," the Mysterious Figure replied. "You cannot permanently destroy something so powerful, after all. Would you like another demonstration?"

After tensing up for a second, the Mysterious Figure moved like lightning, faster than anyone's eyes could follow, and stabbed No Name into Hayate's chest.

Before Vita could run over to smash the Mysterious Figure's head in, she instantly backed away from the flood of darkness that surrounded Hayate, giving the Mysterious Figure the chance she needed to escape via a corridor of darkness.

"What did she do to Hayate?!" Marie shouted.

"I think we're about to find out," Nick replied, preparing himself for whatever was about to happen.

 **("Eternal Blaze" by Nana Mizuki plays)**

When the darkness cleared, Hayate was very different. She appeared to have aged a couple years, being taller and slightly more mature-looking. She was wearing a black and gold minidress as an undersuit, a black and white two-piece jacket over that, and a white balmoral. From her back now sprouted two pairs of black angel wings. Her hair had turned from brown to a light shade of platinum blonde, and her blue eyes were now the sharp yellow that marked either corruption or Heartless possession. In her hand was a black and silver staff topped by a large golden cross.

And she looked positively _angry_ , no doubt due to the darkness coursing through her body.

"H-Hayate?" Vita gasped, looking like she was about to cry.

Caught up in her grief, Vita almost didn't notice Shadow Hayate move so fast it appeared she had teleported. Vita had just finished drying her tears when Shadow Hayate was right in front of her, ready to drive her staff through Vita's heart.

Nick was over there in a flash, swinging Excellion Assault to easily counter Shadow Hayate's strike.

"Vita, you may want to get somewhere safe," Nick proclaimed. "We'll take care of this."

"B-But I..."

"Oh, for crap's sake, _will you beat it?!_ " Maylin shouted, summoning Stormfall and activating her Spellweaver Style Change. "We've got this under control!"

"We promise we won't hurt Hayate," Haruka proclaimed, summoning Divewing and activating her Wingblade Style Change. "We just need to drive out the darkness that's possessing her."

"Go fetch the other Wolkenritter, just in case we need backup later," Marie proclaimed, summoning Rainfell to her hands.

Vita shook herself out of her trance and made like a bullet for Hayate's house to alert the other Wolkenritter.

This left Nick, Maylin, Haruka, and Marie to face off with Shadow Hayate.

"Okay, who's making the first move?" Maylin wondered.

Shadow Hayate answered that by raising her hand and casting Diabolic Emission, creating a sphere of darkness that compressed inward then exploded outward, forcing the quartet to scatter in different directions.

"All right, not nice!" Maylin shouted.

Shadow Hayate didn't seem interested in talking, instead rushing in to swing at Nick, who retaliated with an overhead swing, then followed up with a forward stab with Excellion Assault to put some distance between the two of them.

But Shadow Hayate came back extremely quickly with a diagonal slash that knocked Nick backwards.

"Damn, she's fast," Nick quipped. "I might need some speed of my own to counter her. Maylin, can I use a Style Change like you? Is there any special requirement to using one?"

"Just think of what attribute you wanna concentrate on and focus _really_ hard on it, and it should work!" Maylin answered, firing off her combo finisher blast to keep Shadow Hayate away. "I'll keep Hayate busy for you!"

As Maylin did that, and Marie and Haruka stood in a defensive formation, Nick concentrated and closed his eyes, thinking about what he wanted to use against Shadow Hayate. After a couple seconds, the idea came to Nick, and a bright golden light surrounded him and his keyblade.

" _Style Change: Fever Pitch!"_ Nick shouted, his body and keyblade suddenly enveloped in a bright green aura. As Shadow Hayate pushed Maylin aside to attack him, Nick swung Excellion Assault to counter, surprised to see that his swing was now lightning fast and easily stumbled Shadow Hayate.

"Okay, _that's_ more like it!" Nick exclaimed, charging in to attack Shadow Hayate with ultra-fast diagonal swings, ending with a combo finisher that spun him forward like a drill to push Shadow Hayate back.

As Nick advanced again, Shadow Hayate simply blasted him back with Balmung, a sword-shaped energy projectile attack. This didn't stop Nick, though, who utilized the super speed that Fever Pitch granted him to right himself quickly and get right back into the fray, attacking Shadow Hayate with four quick swings before swiping Excellion Assault straight upwards, causing five beams of light to shoot out in a fan-shaped formation from underneath him and damage Shadow Hayate.

After recovering from her damage, Shadow Hayate raised her staff to cast Heimdall, creating icebergs in the air and dropping her staff to cause the icebergs to start falling, giving the keyblade wielders little room to squeeze in any attacks.

Maylin glided through the iceberg assault, still under the effects of Spellweaver, firing off a Thunder spell whenever she could.

"We need to get this ice dropping to stop!" Maylin shouted.

Marie thought of something, switching from Rainfell to Darkgnaw, a keyblade that had only previously been used by her "other self", Mariko Kusumi.

As Maylin and Haruka leaped away from another Balmung shot, they both collapsed to their knees as their Style Changes expired, but looked behind them when they spotted Marie clenching her fist tightly. An aura of darkness was surrounding her as she concentrated.

"W-wait, what's Marie doing?" Haruka wondered.

" _Style Change: Dark Impulse!"_ Marie shouted, darkness exploding from her body. Her free hand was now surrounded by a wicked-looking dark hand.

"Let's see if I've still got the moves!" Marie proclaimed dramatically, charging through the still-falling icebergs, occasionally using her dark claw to slash through an iceberg.

Eventually, she reached Shadow Hayate and started attacking with a wicked flurry of keyblade strikes, mostly quick slashes and overhead spins, ending by thrusting her free hand forward and projecting a larger version of her dark claw to attack Shadow Hayate. This was enough to push her backwards and dispel the Heimdall spell.

"Nice one, Marie!" Nick exclaimed.

"Glad you approve, big brother. The darkness will _never_ control me again!" Marie proclaimed, and she and Nick rushed Shadow Hayate together.

Shadow Hayate recovered quickly and then cast Atem des Eises, causing cubes of solid ice to start bouncing towards them like a wave.

Nick and Marie simply sliced through the cubes before striking at Shadow Hayate a few times, then using their finishing moves, Nick attacking Shadow Hayate with four quick swings before swiping Excellion Assault straight upwards, causing five beams of light to shoot out in a fan-shaped formation from underneath him, and Marie surrounding herself with darkness, then diving into it, coming up under Shadow Hayate and projecting an even larger dark claw straight upwards, dragging Shadow Hayate into the air with it.

When Shadow Hayate returned to the ground, she glided away and raised her staff, a Belkan Triangle magic circle sprouting to life at the tip of the staff.

"Ooh, _that_ doesn't look pleasant," Marie quipped.

Sure enough, each point on the magic circle unleashed a large beam of white light surrounded by black lightning that eventually joined into one gigantic beam of darkness and light, screaming through the air towards Marie.

"Marie, GET DOWN!" Maylin shouted.

Marie only had time to raise Darkgnaw as the Ragnarok spell enveloped her. After a few seconds, the blast dissipated and revealed that Marie had survived the attack, though she looked pretty beat up in the process.

"N-Not bad," Marie gasped. "But now it's my turn!"

Even as Shadow Hayate readied another spell, Marie raised Darkgnaw to the sky and charged toward Shadow Hayate, cutting right through another Heimdall, only to vanish before she reached Shadow Hayate, leaving her confused.

All of a sudden, Marie reappeared, flying by as fast as lightning and slashing at Shadow Hayate many times from multiple angles, not letting up for even a second. After a few more passes, Marie reappeared a few feet above Shadow Hayate.

"Welcome oblivion!" Marie proclaimed rather dramatically, planting Darkgnaw into the ground and causing dark shockwaves to ripple out from the point of impact, damaging Shadow Hayate even further and causing her body to seize up for a few seconds.

Nick was the first one to notice that a small keyhole had appeared on Hayate's chest, the same spot where the Mysterious Figure had struck her with No Name.

"Nick!" Haruka shouted.

"On it!" Nick proclaimed, raising Excellion Assault and firing a beam of light into the keyhole, causing it to shatter. Light began to flow from Shadow Hayate's body, eventually exploding outwards in a bright flash.

Once everything was clear, Hayate was back to her normal self, having collapsed to her knees.

"Did... did we do it?" Maylin tentatively asked.

"Yeah, I think it's over," Haruka quipped.

" _Man_ , that was a heck of a fight," Marie admitted, letting Dark Impulse fade away. "How do you guys keep it up for so long?"

"We've been at this for a lot longer, honestly," Nick replied as he let Fever Pitch fade away. "And, to be fair, this is really only your first actual travel spot where you've been able to fight as yourself."

"Looks like I've got a lot of ground to cover to catch up to you guys, huh?" Marie giggled.

"True, but you're also a fast learner, so it shouldn't take you much longer before you're at our level," Nick responded.

"Hey, I think she's waking up!" Maylin proclaimed, all four of them moving to where Hayate was regaining consciousness.

"W-what... what just happened?" Hayate asked. "Why am I sore all over?"

"You were taken by the darkness because of that hooded nut that attacked you," Maylin admitted. "And you kinda attacked us, so we had to fight back."

"Can you still walk, Hayate?" Haruka asked.

Hayate, steadying herself on Haruka's shoulders, picked herself up and took a few steps to make sure her legs were still working. Yep, everything seemed fine and dandy.

"Thank you for helping me out again," Hayate stated. "I really appreciate it."

Hayate walked over and kissed Nick on the cheek, causing him to blush like mad.

"The only reason I'm not smashing your head in for that is because you saved Hayate again," Vita proclaimed, though her badly-hidden smile meant it was only in jest. "I owe you guys for helping us out."

"Always happy to help!" Maylin giggled. "It's pretty much what we do, right?"

Suddenly, Vita's hat began to glow and lift itself off of her head. "Hey, hey, who's messing with my hat?!" Vita shouted.

Energy began to gather around Excellion Assault's teeth, before eventually absorbing into the ground below Nick and creating the shape of a crown under his feet. As wind began to swirl around Nick's body as he channeled his power, the glow surrounding Vita's hat created a wave of light that eventually formed into a large keyhole in the sky.

Nick jumped back, spinning Excellion Assault a few times before aiming and firing a beam of light from the keyblade into the keyhole. Reality seemed to shatter in a large circle around the keyhole, lines of light flowing into it before creating a bright flare that caused the keyhole to disappear.

"Ooooooookay, that was weird," Vita quipped. "That wasn't you guys doing something to my hat, was it?"

"We weren't the ones who did it, Vita," Maylin quipped. "But that means it's time for us to hit the road."

"You're welcome to stop by anytime you're around," Hayate stated. She was still drying a few of her tears, as Axel's sacrifice had still hit her pretty hard despite learning the truth about the Organization. "I really appreciate what you guys did for me."

"It's no problem, Hayate," Nick answered. "As long as we have the power to do something about it, the Organization isn't going to stand in our way."

"And if you see that hooded lady, smack her one for me, got it?" Vita laughed.

"That was _definitely_ always part of the plan!" Maylin proclaimed.

The Mysterious Figure watched as the quartet of keyblade wielders transported themselves back to the Gummi Ship.

 _Oh, I'll make sure they can't stand in my way,_ the Mysterious Figure thought. _On that, at least, I agree with them. The Organization is a blight that needs to be erased from this and all worlds. That's what I swore on this keyblade. I_ _ **will**_ _stop the Organization's destruction, even if I have to erase an entire multiverse to do so. And if that's what I have to do, then I don't have any regrets. My hands are stained with the blood of so many already._

* * *

"Well, that was quite an ordeal, huh?" Maylin admitted once all four of them were seated in their positions onboard the Gummi Ship.

"Tell me about it," Haruka answered. "I really wish that chick would have stuck around so we could smack her down..."

"Hey, I see _two_ new worlds up ahead," Marie quipped, pointing towards the two structures just ahead in the Lanes Between.

The world to the left was represented by a large, pillar like structure with a city at the very top, a city in the middle, and a city at the bottom surrounded by storm formations.

The world to the right was represented by a large and intricate manor not unlike the Schnee Dust Company building, under the silhouette of a blood red moon.

"That's a new one," Maylin stated. "Usually they just show up one by one."

"Okay, everyone, which one do you all want to explore first?" Haruka asked.

"How about the one with the giant pillar?" Marie answered.

"Yeah, I'm with her," Maylin proclaimed.

"Same here," Nick stated.

"Then we're all in unanimous agreement!" Haruka proclaimed.

But as the Gummi Ship proceeded for the large door that would lead to the connecting Gummi Route, Nick began to ponder something he hadn't had time to think about before.

After all, the Mysterious Figure's voice had sounded oddly familiar to him... but why?

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New Harmonization acquired!_

 **Wayward Magic  
** _Drive Gauge Points Needed: **3**  
Purpose: _Absorb magic energy from nearby defeated enemies to power up your attacks and magic. The more enemies defeated in an area, the stronger the power-up will be and the longer it will last. If you leave an area, the wayward magic will vanish.

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Excellion Assault  
** Strength: 12  
Magic: 8  
Ability: Reaction Boost  
 _A keyblade representing the powerful mages that fight to protect their world from darkness. A powerful weapon that is difficult to deflect and increases damage done by Reaction Command-based attacks by 50%._

* * *

On the next episode:

Marie: Ooh, _this_ world looks like it's going to be a lot of fun!

Nick: How do you figure, sis?

Marie: _Do you see this girl and her cat?!_ They're flying every which way, up, down, over and under, she's all over the place!

Haruka: You know what intrigues me, though? I don't think she's actually "flying", per se. It looks to me like she's actually altering her own gravity to do it.

Maylin: Wow, that seems like quite an interesting superpower. Shall we go down and see if she needs our help?

Marie: Oh, yes, we shall!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "Up and Down and All Around"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	10. Up and Down and All Around

Marie had to keep her head from spinning as the Gummi Ship returned to the Lanes Between, the door to the connection route vanishing in a flash of light and dispelling the barrier surrounding the giant pillar that represented the next world the group was to visit.

"You okay back there, Marie?" Haruka wondered.

"Ugh, just... bad memories of those freakin' roller coasters..." Marie groaned.

"Yeah, Marie's never really liked roller coasters, especially after she got sick on that one that was basically a tornado," Nick explained, patting Marie on the head to calm her down. "Me, personally, I've _never_ trusted roller coasters."

"Really? Why's that?" Maylin asked.

"Haven't you seen all the news reports of those _supposedly_ safe roller coasters derailing and crashing?" Nick proclaimed.

"Oh, come on, silly, that's like an _astronomically_ rare occurrence," Haruka quipped.

"Yeah, well, I don't wanna take any chances, _especially_ with my luck," Nick replied. "I've told you time and again that I'm cursed to just have trouble find its way to me no matter _what_ happens..."

"Hey, you're not alone in that, buddy," Maylin giggled, leaning over to kiss Nick on the cheek. "I've experienced my fair share of that crap, too."

"Such is the life of a keyblade wielder, honestly," Haruka laughed. "Well, ladies and guys, we're almost there! Prepare for landing!"

As the Gummi Ship descended towards the world, Marie looked out the window towards the rest of the Lanes Between, gazing at the vistas that the group had traveled so far.

They'd been to so many different worlds already, and this was just the ones they'd been to on _this_ specific adventure.

Marie then glanced back at her brother, who was excitedly chatting with Maylin about what they might find down in this new world.

 _I'm staying with them this time,_ Marie thought. _I promised myself that I'd never let the darkness control me again, and just like my big bro, I intend to_ _ **keep**_ _that promise._

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae  
** _Cherami Leigh Kuhn_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** A red apple fell from the sky, and it landed by a girl who has lost her memories after falling from somewhere. Despite this, she quickly learns that thanks to her new cat familiar, she has the power to alter the gravity around her. This is a power she'll need to fight off both the Heartless and the Nevi, strange creatures that spawned from the storms around the World Pillar. Will the city of Hekseville be able to survive the storms? And what exactly is Strelitzia wandering around for?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World:** Today, we're making a journey into the world of Project Siren's hidden Vita gem, _Gravity Rush_. This starts at the beginning of the first game and covers the first four chapters.

 **EDIT 10/5/18:** Added a few scenes in preparation for the revamp of _Key to Her Heart: A Fragmentary Passage_.

* * *

Episode 10: Up and Down and All Around

She felt something lightly tap her head, but that was enough to wake her up, slowly as she did. She picked herself up, just now noticing that there was a cat standing intently by her.

"Um, are you lost, too?" she asked. "I really don't have anything to give you, so you'll probably have to find another place to beg."

The girl quickly realized, though, that there were more pressing matters at the moment.

 _Where am I?_ she thought. _Why can't I remember anything? And... where the heck am I? I think I'd better find a way out._

As she ran up the nearby stairway out of this slum area, following the cat out of pure instinct, she also began to wonder where everybody was.

Before she could open the door that led to the outer courtyard of... wherever this place was, she was startled by the appearance of a shimmering portal off to her left, from which a quartet of people walked out of.

"Um, Nick? Maylin just kissed you, right? Back on the Gummi Ship?" Marie asked, still slightly confused.

"Um... yeah. Why?" Nick asked.

"Are you two..." Marie wondered, and Nick blushed, instantly knowing what Marie was asking about.

"Yup! Nick's my boyfriend!" Maylin laughed.

"But... I thought you and Cornelia were..." Marie stated.

"Oh, they still are," Haruka replied, a teasing smile on her face.

Now Marie was _really_ confused. "So... basically, what you're telling me is that you have _two_ girlfriends?" Marie asked, to which Nick just nodded. "I thought that was something that only happens in trashy romance novels."

"That's pretty much what I said," Nick admitted.

"Does Cornelia know?" Marie asked.

"Of course," Maylin answered. "She's pretty much the one who goaded me into confessing."

"And she's okay with it?" Marie wondered. "Man, I _really_ missed a lot while I was away."

Nick looked up, just now noticing the girl that was staring awkwardly at them. "Um, we didn't freak you out, did we, miss?" Nick asked.

"Crap, I think we did," Haruka groaned. "I didn't think anyone would be here, that's why I usually try to adjust the transporter's coordinates to send us somewhere that we won't be seen basically walking out of a portal..."

"Eh, it was bound to happen sooner or later," Maylin quipped.

"Since we're newcomers here, can I ask your name?" Marie asked.

The girl suddenly clutched her head, as a searing pain had just lanced through her mind like a lightning bolt. As she fell to her knees, Marie darted over to catch her.

"Oh, jeez, I'm sorry," Marie stated. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, no, I just..." the girl gasped. "I can't remember my name... or _anything_ , for that matter..."

"You think she's got amnesia or something?" Maylin wondered. "That _really_ sucks, if you want my two cents."

Nick looked down at the black cat that was following the girl, and had a brainstorm. "Hey, um... since you have a cat following you, would it be okay if we called you... say, Kat? Until you remember what your actual name is?" Nick asked.

Kat looked down at the cat, then back to the group, thinking for a few seconds before smiling. "...yeah, I like that name."

"All right, Kat it is!" Maylin laughed.

"Where did all of _you_ come from?" Kat asked as they all pushed their way through a large double door to reach the outer courtyard. "All I know is that you came from that strange portal."

"That's... a long story," Haruka answered.

Before she could start telling it, a man jumped down from the large pipe just above them, looking very frantic as he jumped forward to grab onto Kat's arm.

"H-Hey, what the...?" Kat gasped.

"Please! You must help me!" the man exclaimed.

"Um, maybe if you didn't jump us from out of nowhere like that, maybe we'd be more inclined to believe you!" Maylin shot back.

"You have to save my boy!" the man shouted.

"Wait, your kid? Is he in trouble?" Kat asked.

"Follow me!" the man proclaimed, leading the entire group up a pathway along the pipes, even stopping to move a rather heavy grate out of the way so they could proceed through a large storm drain tunnel.

Along the way, they all passed by what resembled a community of homeless people that were all giving them odd looks.

"Hey, that cat reminds me of that crow," one man stated.

"What do you guys make of this place?" Kat asked.

"Honestly, no clue, since we just got here ourselves," Maylin answered as they ascended another stairway while a police helicopter flew past. "I've learned not to judge a book by its cover, though, so..."

One of the many people running past them was loudly shouting about a coming storm, leaving the group to wonder what was actually happening that had this man's son in so much danger.

After all, it didn't sound anything like the Heartless...

"Hey, Aujean, your house is being taken! You'd better hurry!" one of the people proclaimed from a second-floor window just above them.

After ascending one more stairway to a large bridge area, the group suddenly stopped in their tracks when Heartless began to spawn all around them, consisting of a group of Luna Bandits, a few Soldiers, and a new type of Heartless that looked like a ghost with two pairs of eyes and two mouths.

"What the Creator are these things?!" Aujean exclaimed.

"Oh, wonderful, the ghosties came to play," Maylin groaned, summoning Counterpoint to her hands.

"The two-faced ghosties are Trick Ghosts," Haruka explained to Nick as she summoned Rumbling Rose. "They have different moves depending on which side is facing upwards. When they're airborne, they like to pelt you with fireballs from far off, but when they're grounded, they like to get in your face. So make sure you remember which side is up and attack accordingly."

One of the Luna Bandits lunged for Aujean and the other scattered people, but Maylin quickly slid in front of it and cast Reflect to protect them, the Luna Bandit bouncing clumsily off of the prism barrier. This gave Maylin the time she needed to blast the Luna Bandit with a Firaga spell.

Nick decided to face down the Trick Ghost, swinging Excellion Assault to bat away any of the fireballs that it launched at him, even managing to reflect some back at the Trick Ghost to damage it.

Tired of the fireballs, the Trick Ghost flipped itself and floated down to attack Nick.

"Right, now we're getting somewhere," Nick quipped, rushing in to meet the Trick Ghost head-on, even as it swung its arms for him, claws of dark energy forming on its hands as it did so.

Nick ducked the first strike, then parried the second, and finally ripped forward with a Zantetsuken, chopping through the Trick Ghost and destroying it.

Marie swung Rainfell upwards to cut down another Trick Ghost, only to gasp in surprise when she saw a bunch of Luna Bandits surrounding Nick.

Nick wasn't fazed, however, swinging Excellion Assault four times to clear some space around him. As he raised his keyblade for the finisher, time seemed to slow to a crawl for him, and the teeth of Excellion Assault began to sparkle, indicating he had learned a new ability.

After spinning the keyblade dramatically, Nick raised Excellion Assault just as the Luna Bandits jumped him at the same time, then slammed it down to the ground, this motion causing five large orbs of light energy to spiral around him rapidly and utterly shred the Luna Bandits to... well, shreds.

"Nice one, Nick! What's that one called?" Maylin proclaimed.

Nick thought for a second before coming up with a name. "Explosion. Seemed accurate enough."

A loud scream caught everyone's attention. Kat was the first to notice that a large house not too far away was being dragged off of its foundations and carried into the sky by... _whatever_ the hell that strange formation of darkness was hanging in the sky.

And within that house was a young boy, no doubt Aujean's son, just barely hanging on to a nearby plank of wood as the anomaly continued to pull the house into it.

"Oh, crap in a hat, he's stuck in that house!" Maylin exclaimed. "We need to get up there before he gets taken by the storm!"

"Yeah, but do you have any idea how we can do that?" Haruka replied.

"...crap."

"W-what do you want _me_ to do?" Kat asked.

"You're like the crow girl, right?" Aujean proclaimed. "Your cat can get you up there!"

"Wait, who's the 'crow girl'?" Kat wondered.

"Oh, don't be daft with me," Aujean shot back. "I saw you falling from the sky and hit the ground without a scratch anywhere on you! Use that superpower of yours and go get my boy back!"

"Seriously, what are you talking about?!" Kat exclaimed.

At that precise moment, the cat began to glow varying shades of red before hopping down to ground level and flicking his tail. Kat's body was covered in that same red glow as her body flew through the air, up towards various pieces of rubble that had been dislodged by the gravity storm. After a few seconds of what appeared to be mindless flailing, Kat found herself standing, _literally standing_ on a nearby wall like it was the ground to her.

"W-what the heck?! Am I standing on the wall?!" Kat exclaimed. "Did you do this, cat?"

The cat simply meowed, and Kat realized that she didn't have time to question how she was doing this. Eugie needed to be rescued, after all.

With that in mind, Kat began to dash along the wall and another hanging pipe before again shifting her gravity so that she catapulted through the air and landed on top of the house that was being dragged into the gravity storm.

However, the force of the storm caused Kat to have to leap back as it was dragged towards the ominous vortex of darkness. Thankfully, pieces of the road below were conveniently floating by so that Kat could shift herself over to them.

 _Well, at least I'm a fast learner,_ Kat thought as she continued to make her way close to Eugie.

When she was about halfway there, a gigantic hand of darkness emerged from the vortex and snatched up a building piece, forcing Kat to take another route.

"What was that?" Kat wondered.

Eventually, she was able to reach Eugie and safely retrieve him from the house, only for another dark hand to emerge from the vortex and attempt to grab both Kat and Eugie.

The cat, however, began to float around, eventually striking the hand in its weak spot, a large jewel embedded in its palm, causing the hand to explode and the entire gravity storm to dissipate.

The house slowly floated down to the ground so Kat could jump back down to ground level and let Eugie run to his father, who flashed Kat an approving thumbs up.

" _Wow_..." Maylin gasped. "Kat, I didn't know you could control gravity..."

"To be perfectly frank, neither did I," Kat answered. "I must have lost my memory when I fell from wherever it was I fell from..."

Kat nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the house behind her being destroyed, shattered like fragile porcelain by the fists of a rather large Heartless that had appeared.

"M-M-My house!" Aujean shouted.

"What the hell is _that_ thing?!" Marie shouted, raising her keyblade in preparation.

The Heartless in question was shaped like a large, magenta blob with glowing yellow eyes and thin, rounded teeth that resembled prison bars. This body rested on a violet and aquamarine flower-like base. A much smaller pink head was resting on top of the main one, sporting a jagged mouth, glowing yellow eyes, two short, dark purple spikes under its mouth, and a curled magenta antenna on its head. Two long, aquamarine tentacles sprouted from either side of the second head and ended in violet "hands" with three fingers, each with a dark purple spike on it.

"Holy _balls_ , that thing's _huge_!" Maylin exclaimed as the entire group of five jumped down to the lower levels of the area so they could fight the enemy more directly. "That's _gotta_ be one of the biggest Heartless I've ever seen!"

"Yeah, but you know what they say, right?" Haruka replied. "What _we_ said when we fought that Chimera thing back at Beacon Academy so long ago?"

"You better believe I do," Maylin cackled, bringing Counterpoint into a fighting stance. "Let's wreck his prison face up!"

Even Kat shifted into a battle stance as the Parasite Cage roared at them, swinging its long arms towards them in wide, sweeping motions.

Nick parried both swings before hopping off of Maylin's shoulders to fire a Thunder spell directly into the Parasite Cage's face, causing it to reel back in its spot.

Despite this, the Parasite Cage simply bounced back and thrust its entire body straight for them. Kat rushed in and lashed out with a flying kick to bounce the Parasite Cage's body back and stun it long enough for Maylin could shoot a Firaga spell into its mouth, causing it to collapse to the ground.

"Pour it on!" Maylin shouted, blasting the Parasite Cage with a Watera spell even as Marie leaped into the air to perform Dark Break, a move where she charged Rainfell with dark energy and proceeded to pogo off of the Parasite Cage's head five times, spiking Rainfell into its head with each jump before finishing with a downward stab.

The Parasite Cage picked itself up, gazed down at its attackers, then twirled its long arms like a tornado around itself, preventing anyone from getting close.

"Okay, now I'm getting annoyed," Maylin proclaimed. "Nick, let's trash him."

"Let's," Nick quipped as Maylin threw herself into Nick's arms, the two of them uniting into Wisdom Form as the Parasite Cage began to slam its tentacles down.

Wisdom Form Nick simply glided around the Parasite Cage, shooting magic bullets from both Counterpoint and Excellion Assault at the Parasite Cage's body before coming back around to its mouth and blasting it open with a Blizzaga spell, allowing him to dual-cast Thundaga right into the Parasite Cage's open mouth and deliver the killing blow.

Explosions rocked the Parasite Cage's mouth before it collapsed to the ground, weakly flailing its tentacles ones last time as it faded away, leaving behind a large energy heart that floated into the sky and away from the city.

"Wait, that was it?" Wisdom Form Nick quipped. "For something so big, it barely put up a fight!"

"Guess its size was all it really had going for it," Haruka replied.

As Wisdom Form Nick split back into Nick and Maylin, the young mage just sighed in disappointment. "Aw, man, I was really hoping for a challenge that time..." Maylin groaned.

"Maybe the next one will actually be tough," Nick admitted. "Because I agree. That thing was _pathetic_!"

As the group returned to the higher levels were Aujean and Eugie were waiting, Kat was the first to notice that Aujean, for some reason, suddenly didn't look so happy.

"What did you _do_?!" Aujean exclaimed.

"W-wait, what?" Kat asked.

"I said, _what did you do?!_ I asked you to save my boy, not destroy my house!" Aujean proclaimed.

"Hey, it wasn't her fault," Haruka shot back.

"Give our house back!" Eugie shouted.

"Weren't you listening?!" Marie exclaimed.

"Yeah, I wasn't trying to break it, I was trying to stop it from falling!" Kat shouted.

"Yeah, great job you did of that!" Aujean growled. "I knew that I shouldn't have trusted a Gravity Shifter to do anything. All you people are is a bunch of troublemaking good-for-nothings."

"All of mom's things were in that house! Go back and get it!" Eugie shouted.

"Forget it, Eugie," Aujean sighed. "Shifters are all rotten anyways."

"You said it, dad!" Eugie agreed.

Kat was about to protest her innocence, but stopped upon noticing the unbridled fury burning in Maylin's eyes. Nick wisely stepped away, motioning for everyone else to do the same.

Aujean was about to tell the group off again, only to stop in his metaphorical tracks when he felt Counterpoint swinging towards him, the teeth only inches away from his face. Aujean took a step back out of reflexive fear.

"Now _you_ listen to _me,_ you self-righteous _asshole_ ," Maylin proclaimed, barely holding back her rage. "We just busted our _asses_ to save _both of your lives_! If it wasn't for us, and _especially_ for Kat, you both probably wouldn't be here! If it wasn't for Kat, your son would have been sucked into that gravity storm or, worse, he could have been monster chow for the Heartless!"

Maylin angrily swung Counterpoint, just barely missing Aujean again. "I _really_ have no clue what it is with you damn hypocrites! We _save your lives_ from some eldritch abomination that _wanted you dead_ , and you thank us by telling us that we're rotten and we need to get lost?! _What the hell is wrong with you?!_ "

The young mage gripped Counterpoint tightly as she continued on her tirade. "And another thing, how the _hell_ can you consider all Gravity Shifters rotten if you've only ever seen _one_ before?! Answer me _that_ , gramps! I _freakin' dare you!_ "

"But all they've ever done is cause trouble for us!" Aujean proclaimed. "They're nothing but pain, all of them!"

 _That was_ _ **not**_ _the right thing to say,_ Nick thought.

Letting out a bellow of rage, Maylin slammed Counterpoint into the ground, creating a brief flash of magic around her that, while not affecting either Aujean or Eugie, did knock them both to the ground due to the sheer pressure of Maylin's magical power.

"What the hell is your _problem_ , jackass?!" Maylin shouted. "I can't believe you would act like this to someone you _just met!_ What if we weren't here to save your asses, huh?! What would you have done _then_?!"

Aujean attempted to back away, but Maylin simply reached out with her free hand and grabbed his shirt collar so she could yank him closer.

"We just saved your lives," Maylin growled. "The least you could do is be grateful for it. But, I guess that's just too much to ask, isn't it?"

Her rant done, Maylin threw Aujean to the ground and walked away in a huff, the rest of the group following cautiously.

After a few minutes, and actually crossing into the city of Hekseville, Kat was the first to speak. "Um... are you okay, Maylin?" Kat asked.

A few seconds of silence passed, and Maylin just threw herself into Nick's embrace, allowing a few tears to fall.

"I just wish these people would appreciate what we do for them," Maylin admitted. "Yeah, I know that we're supposed to keep order and all that, but it's not fair when we do something nice for these people and they treat us like _garbage_ for it..."

"Hey, I know it's hard," Haruka answered, joining in the group hug. She knew where Maylin was coming from, having witnessed something similar during one of their visits to the Clover Kingdom. After all, she couldn't really stand anyone from the Silva family that wasn't Noelle. "But sometimes you can't change people's minds, no matter how hard you try."

"Come on, let's get moving," Marie replied. "Just forget about that crazy old coot, okay? We know what you really did."

"...thanks, guys," Maylin stated before kissing Nick on the cheek.

The tender moment was interrupted by a scream from a few yards away. Kat followed the sound to what appeared to be a police officer being harassed by a trio of thugs.

"Oh, _that_ doesn't look pleasant," Haruka quipped.

But Kat was already over there in a flash, lashing out with various different kicks to easily down the thugs. By the time the officer looked up, Kat was already standing victorious with one foot on the back of a thug.

The police officer in distress raised his head once the thugs were down. "Oh, man, you guys came just in time! I was chasing one of those thugs when they surrounded me, and... So, who are you, and what are you all doing here?"

"Um... honestly, I can't remember," Kat admitted.

"We're sticking with her for a while, taking down Heartless along the way, since it's kinda our job," Maylin answered.

Kat immediately ran for a nearby wall, tearing off a large wanted poster of a woman and a crow that read "WANTED: RAVEN". "I don't know what I'm doing here or why, but I think this girl might know," Kat explained.

"You seriously don't remember anything?" the officer quipped. "Did you bump your head or something?"

"Well... I don't think so..." Kat sighed.

"Ooh, this sounds like the start of a great suspense novel," the officer laughed.

The entire group's attention was drawn to the screams of a man being harassed by strange dark creatures that resembled amorphous crabs with large spheres on their backs.

"W-what the hell are _those_ things?!" Maylin shouted.

"They definitely don't look like Heartless," Haruka replied.

"You think they're just local monsters?" Marie quipped.

"Either way, we'd better start stomping," Nick proclaimed, and the quartet summoned their keyblades for battle.

The strange crab monsters scuttled towards them, a few of them extending blob-like appendages to attack, but they were easily dodged.

Nick went on the offensive first, swinging Oathkeeper at the strange orbs on the creature's back, taking pride in the fact that it only took three hits to shatter the orb and destroy the creature.

"Hey, girls, go for the orbs!" Nick exclaimed. The others nodded before going to work on their own opponents.

Even Kat pitched in, shifting gravity so she could float upwards and slam into some of the airborne creatures with a diving kick.

Before too long, all of the creatures in the area were defeated, leaving Kat to wonder what exactly was happening.

"First, there was that gravity storm, and now these monsters..." Kat pondered. "Just what the heck is going on here?"

Just then, a group of six Heartless emerged from small pools of darkness. The Heartless in question was a vaguely humanoid Heartless with navy blue skin and two large, blue, curled wings. Its head was spherical with a jagged mouth and glowing yellow eyes, and it was mostly covered by a white helmet, said helmet adorned with two conical red spikes on either side, two angular, black and red spirals on its front, and a curled, blue antenna on its top. Most of its body was also covered by white and grey armor, with its Heartless emblem emblazoned on its abdomen. The creature's legs ended in small, red spikes and it held a gold punching weapon lined by red spikes in each hand.

"Oh, wow, I never thought I'd see _these_ things again," Maylin admitted, summoning Counterpoint to her hands.

"These things are Sky Grapplers," Haruka explained to Nick. "As you can probably tell, they like to attack from the air, but they're also _ridiculously_ fast, so try to get them to stop moving before you try and put the hurt on them."

"Stop moving, huh?" Nick teased as he summoned Oathkeeper, raising it to channel magic even as three of the Sky Grapplers bum-rushed him. When they were a few feet from Nick, he made his move, raising his free hand and casting a wide-range Stopra spell that completely froze the Sky Grapplers in their place.

Kat couldn't help but watch in awe as Nick rushed forward so fast it appeared he was gliding over the ground and unleashed a storm of lightning-fast slashes against the Sky Grapplers.

A few seconds passed before the Stopra spell wore off and Nick's attacks took effect, instantly disintegrating the Sky Grapplers.

"And that, as they say, is that," Nick quipped.

Maylin hopped off of Kat's shoulders so she could get enough air to reach the other Sky Grapplers and cast Graviga on them, dragging them back to the ground so she could finish them off with a Magic Hour.

"And that's more creeps annihilated," Maylin giggled. "Anyone else want some?!"

"Hey, Syd, where are you?!" another police officer shouted from afar.

"You all need to leave, now," Syd warned.

"W-what? Why?" Kat asked.

Syd held up Raven's wanted poster to punctuate his point. "Because, the powers that be really don't like Shifters like you," Syd explained. "You make them feel... well, less powerful."

"Oh, wonderful, _another_ bunch of hypocrites," Maylin groaned.

"Seriously, that goes for you key warriors, too," Syd continued. "Think about it. A bunch of unknowns with superpowers and super weapons who show up almost alongside the monsters? You don't want anyone making the logical connection..."

"Wait, what connection?" Kat asked.

"Besides, fighting the Heartless is our _job_ ," Haruka replied. "That's the whole reason we're here."

"Look, I'll take care of things with the force, so just leave the explaining to me," Syd stated.

"If you say so," Kat stated.

"Come on, let's go, Kat," Nick proclaimed as the group wandered off to another section of the city.

As they continued to explore Hekseville, Kat sighed in annoyance. "Just how is a girl supposed to get by in a place like this? No home, no bed, no place to take the hot shower that I _desperately_ need..." Kat groaned, not noticing the open manhole cover right in front of her.

"Um, Kat..." Maylin warned too late, as Kat took a step into empty air and fell into the manhole cover, tumbling down the tunnel until she landed on her butt in what appeared to be Hekseville's sewer system.

"You okay there?" Nick asked, the four keyblade wielders having made their way down the tunnel by floating down inside of an Aeroga barrier cast by Maylin.

"Yeah, just... my pride," Kat groaned.

"The most well-coordinated superhero of all time," Maylin teased.

Kat was about to fire back at Maylin when she got a good look at the sewer network they were in. "Hmmm... I see potential here," Kat admitted as she climbed her way into one of the larger pipes, following it until she reached a wooden barricade that she just kicked out of her way. "What do you know, it leads right outside, too."

Kat looked back at the large pipe she had just come from. "Well, I think I found my new home!"

Nick and the girls decided to say nothing. After all, they'd been to worlds where people had made much stranger homes out of odd places.

"Okay, then, this place really needs some sprucing up," Kat proclaimed. "You guys wanna help me decorate my new home?"

"Sure thing!" Haruka answered. "After all, a home's gotta look good, right?"

And so, the group began to mobilize all over Hekseville to gather items for Kat's new home.

In one incident, an old lady had given Kat her chair as thanks for saving her from a pack of the strange blob creatures, which now had a name thanks to the news: the Nevi.

After that, Kat had found a man who was about to leave a desk behind, saying that it was pointless for him to sit at the desk and study all the time when he wanted to go out and see the world, and had agreed to give Kat the desk.

Finally, the group ran into Syd again, who was throwing out an old bed per his boss' orders, but allowed Kat to have it since she was looking for one.

Once everything she needed was gathered, Kat looked over her new "home" in pure satisfaction (even though she'd agreed to let Maylin wash and clean the bed with her magic, since it was pretty yuck from being at the dump for so long).

"A girl's home really is her castle," Kat giggled.

"True that," Marie laughed.

"I really wish I could remember who I was before I fell here," Kat admitted. "I'm sure I had a great home there, too. It sucks having amnesia sometimes, huh?"

"No kidding," Maylin quipped. "Hey, did I ever tell you guys about the time I got bonked on the head by a basketball and thought I was the mayor of my city?"

"Um, e-excuse me?"

Nick perked up at the sound of a familiar voice. Looking up from his spot, he saw Strelitzia standing just outside the pipe house, nervously shuffling her feet and carrying a different keyblade than she had the last time they'd met.

Strelitzia's new keyblade had a black handle contrasting with a silver white pommel and a guard that resembled clouds, the curvature of the guard resembling a harp or lyre. The base was an etching of a white unicorn with a silvery mane and horn, and yellow eyes with red and black details. Around the unicorn horn were rings of red, black, and silver spikes separated by gold. The shaft of the blade was silver with shining white edges, with four heart-like shapes etched into the shaft in gold and filled with black, with eight silver spikes shot out from around the final etching. From the uppermost spike of one side to the bottom of the other, a black semicircle with silver edges appeared to go through the spikes, this and a few additional spikes set in the ring forming the keyblade's teeth. The keychain was made of white crystals, and the token on the end features five white spikes encircled by a white ring, with what appeared to be the Master's Gazing Eye at the center.

"Oh, Strelitzia, I didn't know you were here!" Haruka proclaimed.

"Please disregard that bit about me getting bonked with a basketball, it's TOP SECRET," Maylin hissed.

"Are your adventures going well?" Strelitzia asked.

"Pretty much," Marie answered.

"It's good to have you back, Marie," Strelitzia admitted. "A lot of people really missed you while you were gone, you know."

That particular line caught Nick's attention, and he decided to address the elephant in the room. "Hey, Strelitzia, there's something we've been meaning to ask since the last time," Nick proclaimed. "We were just wondering... why do you have a Book of Prophecies?"

Strelitzia squeaked in fear, clutching her Book of Prophecies tightly as if Nick had just revealed forbidden information. "H-How did you k-k-know it's a Book of P-Prophecies?" Strelitzia asked.

"I'd recognize those symbols on the book anywhere, Strelitzia," Maylin responded. "They were the symbols of the Unions. And you're carrying one of the Foretellers' keyblades. Trust me, with everything the Oracle's taught me about the history of the keyblade, I can't _not_ know about them."

"The reason we're asking is, well, we thought every last copy of the Book of Prophecies had been destroyed after one of the Foretellers was betrayed and killed by one of their own," Haruka asked. "So, unless the one you have is some kind of fake..."

"N-No, no, it's real," Strelitzia responded. "I... please trust me when I say that I can't tell you everything, but I _can_ say this..."

Strelitzia closed her eyes as she remembered her last conversation with...

"This copy of the Book was kept secret from most of the other Foretellers," Strelitzia explained. "My Foreteller entrusted me with it before sending me away. She wanted me to learn how to use it so I can predict the future like they could. You, of all people, should know that a great darkness is once again threatening the worlds, far more dangerous than Izanami-no-Mikoto..."

"Wait, _what_?! There's something out there that's _stronger_ than that divine whackjob?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"That's all I can tell you," Strelitzia answered. "It was my Foreteller's last order. I want to tell you, but I just can't... not yet, anyway..."

"Hey, this way, at least we're prepared for it," Nick stated.

"That being said, Nick... um... i-is it okay if I request another duel?" Strelitzia asked. "I just want to see how much you've improved since the last time."

"Sure, I'm game," Nick proclaimed, summoning Psychic Punch to his hands. "Let's see what you've got under your sleeves this time."

Strelitzia nodded, bringing her new keyblade, Unicornis, into a fighting stance as Nick walked out of the pipe house, taking a few steps over to the more wide-open area so they wouldn't damage Kat's home during the battle.

"Are you ready?" Strelitzia asked.

"As I'll ever be," Nick replied.

"O-okay, then, here I come!" Strelitzia proclaimed.

Nick had noticed that Strelitzia's fighting stance while wielding Unicornis was different than the stance she'd taken while wielding Anguis back in City Z. He had deduced that each of these different keyblades Strelitzia no doubt possessed must give her a different fighting style.

Nick readied himself as Strelitzia dashed for him, raising Unicornis above her head. Even as Nick raised Psychic Punch to defend himself, Strelitzia brought Unicornis down so hard that the clash of weapons caused a ripple of magical pressure to spread out from the point of impact.

Nick slipped away when he could, and Unicornis slammed itself into the ground, creating a rather vicious crater sparking with electric energy where it struck the ground.

"Holy crap, did she get super-strong or something?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"I think it's the keyblade," Haruka answered. "I bet Nick realized it, too, that Strelitzia has different keyblades that give her different fighting styles..."

Nick prepared to attack, only to stumble slightly as another memory popped to life in his mind, that of a similar crater in the middle of a desolated street, and two robed figures fighting each other.

Shaking it off for the moment, Nick leaped into the air, firing off a Thunder spell for Strelitzia, only for her to easily dodge it and retaliate by swinging Unicornis and casting a Thunder spell of her own, three lightning bolts in a triangle formation that shot through the air straight for Nick.

Nick quickly cast a Reflect spell to protect himself, only to be surprised when the bolts just broke the Reflect barrier and crashed into him, sending him skidding back towards the pipe house.

"Oh, jeez, are you okay, Nick?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"I'll be fine," Nick answered, shaking the damage off. "I was just surprised, that's all."

Nick raised Psychic Punch and charged back in to attack Strelitzia even as she put up a Reflect barrier of her own. Nick simply leaped over it and attempted a Strike Raid as he jumped, attacking from the one place Strelitzia couldn't quite reach, right above her. Nick managed three throws before returning to the ground and rushing in to attack head-on.

Due to still recovering from the Strike Raid, Strelitzia couldn't counter in time as Nick slashed at her three times. For the finisher, Nick performed a rising slash, then brought Psychic Punch behind him, standing on one foot, before slamming it down in an overhead strike. Upon contact with Strelitzia's prone form, a Gravity sphere exploded outward from the point of impact, forcing Strelitzia to her knees.

Never one to not take a chance, Nick swung Psychic Punch upwards, unleashing a Ripple Drive around him that blasted Strelitzia backwards.

Just when he thought the battle was over, Strelitzia flipped back to her feet and swung Unicornis upwards, causing a wave of ice spikes to travel along the ground towards Nick, who quickly blasted a gap in the attack with a Firaga spell.

Strelitzia wasn't done yet, however, performing a pirouette with Unicornis extended, causing ice spikes to erupt in a circle around her and shoot outwards like bullets. Nick ducked under the ones that came his way and cast Watera, blasting Strelitzia back with rapid-fire water bubbles.

Nick didn't waste any time, casting Graviga on Strelitzia to keep her locked in her spot, then fired a Thunder spell point-blank, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Oof..." Strelitzia gasped. "I was not expecting that..."

"Honestly, Water's an underrated spell," Nick quipped, helping Strelitzia to her feet and casting Curaga on both of them, bringing them back to full strength.

"You're getting so much stronger with each world you help," Strelitzia proclaimed. "You'll need that strength if you hope to stop the darkness that threatens us all..."

"Hey, we beat back the darkness once, right? And we'll do it again, no matter how many times we have to!" Nick proclaimed.

Strelitzia just smiled, blushing slightly as she let Unicornis vanish. "S-spoken like a true hero..." Strelitzia giggled. "D-Do you want to know something, Nick?"

"What is it, Strelitzia?" Nick wondered.

"Ever since I started following you and your friends, to see if you had what it takes to protect the universe like you did before, I..." Strelitzia started, shaking off a few nervous jitters before continuing. "This may sound weird, but... I always thought of you as a friend. You know how shy I am, and that made it hard for me to make friends. But... there was something about you... that just filled me with hope, a hope that maybe I can prevent that bad future from coming to pass... I always wished I could meet you in person, but I was too scared of what you'd think of me..."

Nick was about to respond, only to be surprised when Strelitzia stepped closer and kissed him on the cheek. "So... thank you for giving me hope..."

"N-No problem," Nick stuttered even when trying to shoot a glare at Maylin, who he _knew_ was giving him _that look_.

To his surprise, Strelitzia leaned in close and whispered something in Nick's ear. "Did you remember something?"

Nick sputtered slightly, not expecting that particular question. "Well... I saw _something_... just not sure what exactly it was..."

"You'll know soon enough. Here, I wanted to give you this," Strelitzia stated, handing Nick what appeared to be a Summon Charm, this one glowing bright pink and decorated like a futuristic helmet. "Something to cement our friendship."

Strelitzia smiled at Nick before opening her Book of Prophecies and chanting a spell, vanishing in a flash of light.

"You really have the ladies throwing themselves at you, huh, Nick?" Maylin giggled.

" _What was that?!"_ Nick shouted, lunging at Maylin even as she easily dodged him.

"Are they... always like that?" Kat wondered.

"It's just how they are," Haruka answered. "Maylin likes to tease people, and I think she gets a bit of a kick out of making Nick flustered."

"Big bro's just got this energy about him," Marie admitted. "I know I definitely felt it when his family adopted me."

Once Kat had gotten Nick and Maylin to calm down by way of using her gravity powers (which she learned could only use if Dusty, her familiar, was close to her) to lift them off of the ground until they stopped chasing each other, the entire group climbed out of the sewer system back to Hekseville, since Kat had decided that she should probably start exploring the city.

At one point, Marie had spotted the police officer, Syd, going towards a large church, so they decided to follow Syd there and see if he needed help, only for a pack of Heartless to spawn around them on the bridge just before the church, mostly consisting of the ever-persistent Nightwalkers, some Trick Ghosts, and even a few Sky Grapplers.

"Have I ever mentioned how _sick and tired_ I am of these freakin' Nightwalkers?!" Maylin exclaimed, summoning Counterpoint.

Nick simply brought out the Gravity Charm, which was glowing even brighter now. "How about we let our new friend take care of business?" Nick offered.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Haruka exclaimed.

Nick raised the Gravity Charm to the sky, and Maylin and Haruka vanished from sight, leaving both Marie and Kat to wonder who was about to emerge.

 **("The Day" by Porno Graffiti plays)**

Ripples of pink light surrounded the Gravity Charm as Nick raised Oathkeeper towards it. The ripples were drawn into the jewel at the center of the charm, and Nick waved Oathkeeper before touching its teeth to the charm. Waves of light exploded outwards from the charm, eventually forming into the figure of Nick's newest ally.

She was about Nick's age, with fair skin, big round brown eyes, and shoulder-length brown hair which sported two long locks beside her face and a short bob at the back. Her costume was a skin-tight suit primarily colored pink and black, with detached sleeves, knee-high boots, belt, helmet, collar, and thick, round bracers with handles attached to them.

Ochako Uraraka looked around in confusion before spotting the Heartless horde, then looking back at Nick with a mischievous grin on her face. Nick nodded, and the two of them charged towards the horde.

One of the Nightwalkers lunged for Ochako, but she merely thrust her palms forward to touch the Nightwalker, and this simple motion caused the Nightwalker to start floating around helplessly.

Not one to waste his chance, Nick went to attack the drifting Nightwalker a few times, noticing that he was doing much more damage than usual, most likely due to Ochako's zero-gravity touch.

When the drift effect ended, the Nightwalker stumbled before moving to attack, though it actually attacked one of its fellow Nightwalkers.

"Whoa, did I confuse it or something?" Nick wondered. "Maybe it happened because I whacked it while it was drifting."

Before Nick could ponder further, the Sky Grapplers began to ascend, obviously wanting none of being drifted.

"Hey, get back down here!" Ochako proclaimed, thrusting her palms upward and unleashing a gravity wave from her hands that struck the Sky Grapplers and sent them crashing down to the ground, only to start drifting upon contact, where they were easily eliminated by Nick.

" _Very_ convenient," Nick quipped, only to go back on the defense when he noticed that a bunch of Trick Ghosts had surrounded them. "Oh, for crying out loud!"

Ochako, however, just flashed a cute grin before raising her hand to Nick, who figured out her intent and gave her a high-five, causing him to start floating upwards. Ochako wasted no time clapping her hands together and causing herself to start floating to meet Nick in the air.

Ochako pressed her hands together, a purple sphere of light surrounding them. "DRIFT!" Ochako exclaimed, aiming her hands downwards, towards the horde of Heartless, and unleashing a gigantic gravity field that caused the entire horde to start floating helplessly towards them.

Ochako grinned to Nick, floating over to just behind him, and pushing him downwards so he could swing Oathkeeper and spike the drifting horde down to the ground, destroying them all in a great flash of light.

Nick landed gracefully on the ground, Ochako not too far behind him, turning around to high-five Ochako before she returned to the Gravity Charm.

"Whoa, was she another Shifter?" Kat wondered.

"Honestly, not sure," Nick admitted as Maylin and Haruka returned. "Maybe she got her gravity powers from her own world."

"Wait, wait, so the girl that's stuck in that charm... is from another world?" Kat gasped.

"Yeah, usually a world that's been consumed by the Heartless, but their will was strong enough that they became a summon gem or summon charm instead of disappearing like everyone else," Maylin explained. "Honestly, it's pretty hard to explain."

"Hey, instead of all this darkness and Heartless talk, why don't we go chat with Syd?" Marie asked, pointing towards the other end of the bridge, where Syd was standing by the gate that led to Karuwari Church. "Maybe see what he's up to."

"Yeah, good idea," Kat quipped, crossing the short distance and playfully slapping Syd on the back, easily startling him.

"O-Oh, it's only you, Kat," Syd sighed. "You freaked me out for a second."

"Are you off today or something?" Kat asked. "I wouldn't have recognized you with that coat if Marie hadn't pointed you out."

"Oh, you mean this?" Syd laughed, dramatically gesturing to his coat. "Pretty sharp, eh? You're actually gazing upon the newest member of the Seahorse Special Crime Task Force. I made detective!"

"Is that a good thing?" Kat asked. "Yeah, buddy, I saw the papers. You got a promotion for what _we_ did."

"Pretty much," Syd admitted. "But you all have great timing, because I need your help with this next case. It could really kickstart my career!"

"So, do all the work and let you get all the credit and promotions?" Kat summarized. "Seems like a pretty sweet deal to me."

"But this isn't your normal case," Syd explained. "We finally have a lead on the master criminal Alias! Man, I can smell the bonus already, maybe even another promotion!"

"Okay, okay, reel it in, buddy," Maylin cut in, a sweatdrop forming on her head. "Let's actually catch the guy before we talk about promotions."

"Don't worry, though, I'll reward you all," Syd continued. "And I already have a master plan to catch this guy. Well? You all in?"

Before anyone could answer, someone yanked Syd back by his coat collar.

"Well, now I see why you weren't responding to my calls," Bulbosa, the chief of police, proclaimed.

"Yeah, man, this is no time to be getting your groove on!" Chaz, Bulbosa' co-worker, laughed.

"Say that to my face!" Maylin growled, itching to summon her keyblade.

"No, no, they're just people I know," Syd responded.

"Well, then get back to work. This is the real deal, not some silly game," Bulbosa proclaimed.

"Roger," Syd replied. "Kat, I'll be in touch."

As Bulbosa and Chaz pulled Syd to the scene, Kat just sighted. "You kiss-up."

The radio device that Syd had discreetly passed to Kat began to crackle as Syd radioed in.

"Yeah, this is Kat. What's up?" Kat answered.

"Syd here. Head to the roof of the church, and try not to get spotted by the patrols," Syd's voice responded.

"Wait, what'll happen if they see us?!" Kat exclaimed. "You're acting like _I'm_ the thief or something!"

"Calm down, silly," Syd laughed. "Just go the roof and I'll fill you in on the rest of my master plan when you get there. Over."

Before Kat could inquire any further, the transmission ended. "Hmph. That was rude," Kat quipped.

"Oh, wonderful, so we have to deal with a _stealth mission_ ," Haruka groaned. "That's just great."

"And I'm pretty sure I can't just shift my way over there, because what if they're looking up and they see me?" Kat answered. "A girl flying through the air isn't exactly good for not being seen."

Maylin, however, had a wicked grin plastered on her face.

"Um, Maylin, something you _like_ about a stealth mission?" Marie proclaimed.

"I just remembered a spell I've been holding on to for a while," Maylin stated. "Makes stealth missions a piece of cake."

Maylin promptly summoned Counterpoint before reaching into her pocket for a spell coin.

"You're going to love this, Kat," Maylin giggled before tossing the coin into the air. _"Force, know my plight! Release the light! VANISH!"_

Maylin swung Counterpoint to strike the coin, and after a bright flash of light, all five people in the group appeared to have vanished completely.

"W-what the hell?!" Marie exclaimed. "Did we become ghosts? Because I can't see any of you!"

"That's the idea, Marie!" Maylin giggled. "That was my Maylin-patented Vanish spell! As you can probably guess, the spell turns anyone in its area of effect completely invisible for a short time. It's the bane of stealth missions everywhere!"

"You really are full of surprises, aren't you, Maylin?" Nick quipped.

"It's something I cooked up while Haruka and I were off on our own adventures," Maylin admitted. "It won't last forever, but it should last us just long enough to get to where we need to go. And if its wears off, I can just cast it again!"

"Let's move, then, before it wears off in a bad place," Kat stated.

With that, the group moved through the church courtyard, completely unseen thanks to Maylin's spell, to the back of the church itself, where Kat shifted gravity around her to lift everyone to the roof where Syd had instructed them to go.

"All right, Syd, I'm at the roof. What next?" Kat spoke into the radio just as the Vanish spell wore off.

"Okay, you can see the park from there, right?" Syd's voice answered. "Resting on top of the fish statue in the middle of the park is the Sacred Gem, the thing that Alias is after. It's been protecting this city for a long, long time and we can't afford to lose it now with all of these dangerous gravity storms. They say there's a great power resting inside of it..."

"You don't say," Kat quipped.

"Wait, if it's that powerful, then why in god's green smurf is it just lying out there in the open for any wingnut to take?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"There should be something by your feet," Syd proclaimed, choosing to ignore Maylin's statement. "It's a fake gem I made. I'm going to raise some hell to draw the police away from the Sacred Gem, and that'll be your chance to swap the real thing with the fake. Got that? Good. See you later!"

"Wait, are you serious?!" Kat shouted, only to be answered by a click. "Ugh, this plan sounds so bad. I really hope it doesn't go wrong..."

"Hey, as long as I'm here with my awesome magic, we have nothing to fear," Maylin proclaimed. "So let's disappear again and pull the ol' switcheroo!"

Before Kat could take them back to ground level, a bright flare caught everyone's attention. Nick turned around towards its source, and saw that the large bell inside of the bell tower was shaking slightly, a keyhole of light forming on its surface.

"Um, should we be worried about that?" Kat wondered.

"I'll take care of that," Nick replied, summoning Oathkeeper and raising it towards the bell, firing a beam of light from its teeth into the keyhole and sealing it off with a loud click. When the keyhole disappeared, the bell stopped shaking.

"There we go," Nick quipped.

"Hey, the officers are all moving away from the fish statue!" Marie exclaimed.

"Then let's get this over with," Maylin proclaimed. _"Force, know my plight! Release the light! VANISH!"_

Once again, under their magical cloak, the group made their way to the fish statue, quickly swapping the real Sacred Gem with the fake one.

"Syd, I switched the gems," Kat spoke into her radio.

"Awesome! I knew I could count on you guys," Syd answered. "Now come and meet me in the woods, but be careful, since the officers are probably coming back."

"Geez, please take this more seriously, will you?" Kat quipped. "You're making me nervous..."

One final trip through the woods and Maylin dispelled the Vanish spell when everyone was sure they were safely hidden from view.

"And that's another stealth mission conquered," Maylin proclaimed. "If only we had a large cardboard box..."

"Hehehe, been taking lessons from Snake, have you?" Haruka giggled.

"Hey, don't knock what works," Maylin stated proudly. "The box is an amazing stealth tool!"

"Nice work, Kat," Syd proclaimed as Kat handed him the Sacred Gem. "With the gems switched, nobody will suspect a thing. It'll be our little secret, hehehehe..."

"Um..." Maylin quipped. "Is it me, or is something not right here?"

"Oh, by the way, there's a party in the park that I really don't think you should miss," Syd stated, glancing down at the Sacred Gem. "Finally, the gem is mine!"

Kat was about ask what _that_ meant, but it seemed too late, as a cloud of energy surrounded Syd's body, and when it dissipated, Alias was standing in his place, laughing like a madman. He graciously bowed to Kat before vanishing in a flash.

"S-Syd was Alias this whole time?!" Kat gasped.

"That bastard double-crossed us!" Maylin growled.

A pained moan caught the group's attention, and Kat looked to the side to see what appeared to be the real Syd picking himself up from a nearby bush.

"Syd, what's going on?" Kat proclaimed, wanting some answers. "You were just here, then you weren't, and now you're over there. _What is going on?!_ "

"No clue," Syd answered. "One second I was just standing there, and next, I'm lying on the ground with a massive headache..."

"Wait, so Alias was disguising himself as you this whole time?" Maylin quipped. "Because that means... oh, god damn it, _please_ don't tell me we just handed the Sacred Gem off to that creep without even knowing it!"

"Oh, that's not good at all..." Syd groaned.

"Oh, _you think_?!" Marie proclaimed.

"How was I supposed to know he wasn't you?!" Kat shouted. "He had your face and appearance!"

Just then, Syd's radio turned on, broadcasting a call from Bulbosa. "Where the blazes are you, Syd?! You need to get back to the park _now_! The Nevi, they're everywhere!"

The group raced back up to the park area, and sure enough, the place was swarming with Nevi.

"Now _this_ is more my style," Nick stated, summoning Excellion Assault. "Let's go stomp some Nevi!"

Maylin, Haruka and Marie summoned their keyblades as well as the Nevi came crabwalking towards them.

Another loud scream from a group of nearby police officers drew the group's attention even as a massive Heartless dropped down from the sky and crushed a group of Nevi with its bulk, causing the remaining Nevi to flee the scene.

"W-wait, what the hell are _you_ doing back here?!" Maylin shouted.

The Heartless bared down at the group, revealing itself to be the Parasite Cage once again, only this time it looked different. This time, the Parasite Cage's main body was light orange, as was the antenna on the smaller head. The smaller head was a light tan color and the small spikes on the head and hands were blue. Its arms and base were pale green, its hands were yellow, and the flower-like section of the base was violet and lavender.

"No wonder it was so easy the first time," Haruka quipped.

The Parasite Cage raised both of its tentacle hands and brought them down in a double-fisted overhead slam, creating a small crater in the ground where they struck and forcing the group to scatter in different directions.

"Who thinks this is actually gonna be harder than the last time?" Marie stated, raising Rainfell to blast the Parasite Cage in the face with a Watera spell.

Kat decided to make herself useful by shifting her gravity to float upwards and reach the Parasite Cage's upper head, where it couldn't really reach her. After delivering a few spinning kicks to its head, the Parasite Cage opened its small mouth, some kind of green gunk forming within it.

Kat didn't need to be told to move, shifting higher up as the Parasite Cage unleashed a large blob of acid that sailed through the air and struck the fish statue, almost instantly dissolving it.

"Oh, _that's_ fun," Maylin groaned.

Kat shifted back downwards to aim a flying dive kick at the Parasite Cage's small head, only for it to leap into the air. Kat landed on the ground due to her built up momentum, only to be sent flying when the Parasite Cage landed, its bulky body causing a shockwave to erupt from its impact.

Despite this, Kat quickly flipped back to her feet, shifting again to float to behind the Parasite Cage while Maylin pelted it with spells from afar.

To Kat's surprise, Nick dashed over to join her, even though she was floating. Nick leaped as high as he could, placing his free hand on Kat's head and making her squeak in confusion.

" _Harmonization Ready!"_ Nick proclaimed, a silver ring of light surrounding him before shattering and causing his body to glow a bright shade of green, much like how Kat's body glowed red when she was shifting gravity.

And sure enough, Nick was now floating in the air alongside Kat, waiting for a prime opportunity to attack the head, which seemed to be the Parasite Cage's only reliable weak point.

After dodging another shot of stomach acid, Nick and Kat shifted towards the head, planting both a flying kick and a drill strike from Excellion Assault into the Parasite Cage's head, causing it to slump to the ground and its much larger mouth to open up.

Maylin looked into the gaping maw of the Parasite Cage and saw an opportunity, charging forward to leap into its mouth.

"M-Maylin, what the heck are you doing?!" Marie shouted. "Don't leap _into_ the jaws of the beast that wants us dead!"

"This'll work, trust me!" Maylin proclaimed as she jumped and proceeded to start attacking what appeared to be the Parasite Cage's uvula.

The Parasite Cage began to throw a tantrum as Maylin attacked its vital spot, attempting to close its mouth and trap her in there, only for Maylin to slash Counterpoint through its mouth and keep it open for her.

"And now, let's end this thing!" Maylin proclaimed, switching to Stormfall as her body began to glow with a bright aquatic blue light.

 **("Kocchi wo Muite" by Yukana Nogami plays)**

" _Style Change: Spellweaver!"_ Maylin proclaimed as light exploded outwards from her body.

When the light died down, Maylin was floating slightly off the 'ground', still surrounded by that radiant glow. Even her eyes were twinkling with the light of a star. Stormfall was floating by her right hand, being telekinetically controlled by Maylin with this new power of hers.

"Say goodnight, you oversized indigestion machine!" Maylin shouted, her voice echoing as she rushed to attack the uvula, swinging Stormfall in wide, sweeping attacks. The keyblade actually spun around as she swung it, further adding to the damage it was causing. Maylin finished her combo by aiming Stormfall for the uvula and firing off a large sphere of light that did multiple hits worth of damage and caused the Parasite Cage to roar in agony.

All the while, Haruka continued to attack its right flank, Marie decided to pelt the larger face with Watera spells, and Nick and Kat continued to manipulate gravity to attack the small head and keep the Parasite Cage stunned long enough for Maylin to deliver the finishing blow.

Energy began to gather around Stormfall, and Maylin began to spin around like a ballet dancer, spirals of light surrounding her as she did so and lifting the Parasite Cage into the air with each hit.

After about seven straight seconds of spinning, Maylin finished with a swift flourish of Stormfall that created a large ice crystal above her, which instantly shattered and created a shockwave that ruptured the uvula, causing the Parasite Cage to crash back to the ground and start shaking violently.

Maylin took this as her cue to beat it, and jumped out of the Parasite Cage's mouth as it exploded into wisps of darkness that quickly evaporated, a large energy heart escaping into the sky.

"Try again in another life, buddy!" Maylin exclaimed as she let Spellweaver fade away.

As Nick and Kat returned to the ground, they both noticed the crowd of people that were surrounding the park now that both the Nevi and the Parasite Cage had been defeated.

"Um, uh, so that takes care of those Nevi!" Kat laughed nervously, knowing she was in a bit of trouble. "No need to... um, what are you staring at?"

Bulbosa was giving Kat and the rest of the group a very accusatory stare.

"Hey, hey, back off with the long face, buddy," Maylin quipped.

Kat glanced back at the fish statue, or rather what was left of it, and saw that the Sacred Gem had been shattered, no doubt by the Parasite Cage.

"Crap," Kat sighed until she saw Syd walk up and examine the shards of the gem. "Um... I can explain! You see, I-I was..."

"It's all right, everyone, there's no need to panic," Syd proclaimed, moving to actually shove a shard of the gem into Bulbosa's mouth.

"It's... it's just candy," Bulbosa stated.

"Exactly! Alias simply switched the Sacred Gem with an enormous gumdrop!" Syd stated. "That dastardly criminal..."

"They must be in league with that freak!" Bulbosa growled, stepping over to snatch Marie by the wrist. "He couldn't have done this on his own!"

"I'm warning you, buddy, police chief or not, if you don't let go of my sister _this instant_ , you're gonna be in a _world_ of hurt!" Nick proclaimed, summoning Fairy Stars to his hands.

"You're accessories, all of you! Round them up and bring them to the station!" Bulbosa exclaimed.

"Um, boss?" Chaz cut in. "I don't think they're working for Alias. If they were, would they still be here? Or, better yet, if she _was_ in league with Alias, would they have helped us fight off those monsters? If they hadn't shown up, we'd _all_ be dead meat."

"That's true, but..." Bulbosa started.

Suddenly, one of the civilians spoke up. "Hey, leave them alone! They're doing far more for us than you cops are!"

"Yeah, don't drag those poor kids into this! They're innocent!" another man shouted.

"Look, we should probably find Alias," Syd stated. "He might still be around here somewhere."

Bulbosa sighed in defeat and turned around to command his officers. "Search the grounds! I want that thief found, and _no excuses_!"

"Thanks again, Kat!" Syd bellowed as he joined his fellow officers.

Kat couldn't help but smile, thankful to the people that had rallied behind her heroic efforts. Despite getting off to a rocky start, she was honestly starting to like this place.

Unknown to them, Alias was watching them from far away, standing on top of the New Stormshield Tower in Endestria, a wide grin on his face despite the mask that hid it.

"You'd better get your head in the game, or you may not survive our next meeting," Alias proclaimed. "Poor, lost little queen..."

* * *

"I wanted to say my own thanks to you guys," Kat proclaimed as she turned to the keyblade wielders. They were back at Kat's home discussing recent events. "You really helped me out when I needed it."

"That's kinda what we do, Kat," Nick quipped.

Kat looked down as Dusty nudged her feet, something being carried in his mouth. "Oh, I think Dusty wants me to give you this," Kat stated, picking Dusty up so she could retrieve the object and hand it to Nick. "Probably his own way of thanking you for your help."

Nick took the trinket and attached it to his keyblade, causing it to transform. This new keyblade had a golden handle, a handle guard consisting of two connected pairs of three gold rings like the ones Kat was wearing, the hilt resembled Alias' mask, the shaft resembled the Karuwari Church bell tower complete with the bell at the tip, the teeth of the weapon shaped like the Sacred Gem, a long black scarf like Kat's wrapping around the blade, and the keychain token was a tiny Dusty. The words _Gravity Queen_ ran through Nick's mind as he studied the weapon.

"We are on a roll, aren't we?" Nick quipped.

Just then, Dusty began to glow brightly, the light around him lifting him into the air.

"Dusty, what are you doing?" Kat quipped. "You never told me _you_ could fly, too!"

Energy began to gather around Gravity Queen's teeth, before eventually absorbing into the ground below Nick and creating the shape of a crown under his feet. As wind began to swirl around Nick's body as he channeled his power, the glow surrounding Dusty created a wave of light that eventually formed into a large keyhole in the sky.

Nick jumped back, spinning Gravity Queen a few times before aiming and firing a beam of light from the keyblade into the keyhole. Reality seemed to shatter in a large circle around the keyhole, lines of light flowing into it before creating a bright flare that caused the keyhole to disappear.

"What was the light show about?" Kat asked as Dusty landed back on the ground.

"Sadly, we have to go," Maylin answered. "Our work here is done for now."

"You can drop by if you're ever in the neighborhood again," Kat giggled. "I'll always have a pipe open for you."

"We'll hold you to that," Nick laughed.

"Oh, by the way, if we're in the area and you catch sight of any odd figures in black cloaks, let us know _immediately_ , okay?" Haruka proclaimed. "Because Organization XIII is _bad news_."

"I'll keep on them," Kat replied. "Maybe I can find some information on them while I look for Raven."

"That other Shifter mister grumpy grandpa mentioned?" Maylin quipped.

"I just... have this feeling she might know something about my past if she's another Shifter like me..." Kat admitted.

From the very top of the Auldnoir TV tower, standing on the top of the large screen, Strelitzia watched, her Book of Prophecies in hand, as four beams of light streaked into the sky, no doubt Nick and his friends returning to their Gummi Ship.

Strelitzia smiled as she watched her new friends move on to other worlds.

"If you ever need me, my friends, I will find you," Strelitzia proclaimed.

 _I know far too well the pain of loss,_ Strelitzia thought _, so I'll make it my mission to protect my friends anyway I can. After all, that's the task that was given to me... as the last of the Dandelions..._

Strelitzia turned her thoughts to Nick. It seemed the memories were coming back, however slowly. _I hope he remembers soon... that might be the edge we need..._

* * *

"Well, it looks like we only have one more place to go right now," Haruka stated as she turned the Gummi Ship towards the manor under the blood moon. "Shall we cut the middleman and head straight there?"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Maylin exclaimed.

As they entered the connection route, Nick couldn't help but think back on what Strelitzia had told them about a task that her Foreteller had given to her.

He wondered if it was due to the Mysterious Figure or Organization XIII, or maybe even the future where Lily had come from.

"Man, it's like we're thrown into a new mystery for every one we solve," Nick thought to himself. "Where do the questions end and the answers begin?"

Nick had a feeling, though, that things were about to come to a head very soon.

And he wasn't sure if the answers were waiting somewhere along that road.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New Harmonization acquired!_

 **Gravity Shift  
** _Drive Gauge Points Needed:_ **2  
** _Purpose:_ Control Nick's personal gravity, allowing him to reach unprecedented heights and allow for exclusive aerial moves. Aim yourself with the right analog stick and press O to shift in the direction you are facing. Press [] to dash in whatever direction you are facing, and press X while dashing to perform a powerful drill kick attack.

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Gravity Queen  
** _Strength:_ **12  
** _Magic:_ **9  
** _Ability:_ **Drive Boost  
** _Description:_ A keyblade representing a gravity-shifting superhero in search of her memories. Possesses great strength and magic, and increases the restoration rate of the Drive Gauge during MP Charge.

* * *

 _New summon acquired!_

 **Ochako Uraraka, the Gravity Princess  
** _Drive Gauge Points Needed:_ **3  
** _Purpose:_ Disable enemies by putting them in zero gravity. Any enemy Ochako touches will be put into "Drift" status, where they are helpless for a short time. Hitting enemies that are drifting will cause them to become confused and take further damage.  
 _Limit Attack:_ **Gravity Wave** , where Ochako can fire gravity shockwaves in any direction with the right analog stick and the [] button. Useful for catching aerial enemies.  
 _Charge Gauge_ : For every Heartless or Nobody killed, the Charge Gauge fills 1/6th. The more the Charge Gauge is filled, the longer drifting enemies will stay in the air. A full Charge Gauge allows usage of Ochako's finishing move.  
 _Finishing Move:_ **Zero Graviza** , when the Charge Gauge is full, Ochako can perform a wide-range Zero Gravity spell that pulls in drifting enemies towards Nick for continuous damage before spiking the enemies to the ground for great damage.

* * *

On the next episode:

Nick: Okay, I've seen a lot of interesting people on this journey, but I think this place tops them all so far.

Haruka: Really? How so?

Nick: Well, for one, we have a vampire princess who _doesn't_ want to suck our blood, her sister who everyone says is crazy but I think she's just lonely, and this little girl with devil horns who can grow gigantic on a whim!

Marie: Not to mention their maid who can apparently stop time and pelt you with knives. Why do I think she'd shout "ZA WARUDO" to do it, too?

Maylin: Add to that a shrine maiden, some so-called "ordinary magician" who comes to steal books, and a librarian who kicks more magical ass than me, I think we're in for something quite spectacular!

Marie: What a crazy world, huh?

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "Carnival of Crimson"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	11. Carnival of Crimson

"Hey, get back here!" Maylin shouted towards the large Nobody ship that was escaping from them at terminal velocity.

"Maybe you shouldn't taunt the monster," Marie quipped as the Gummi Ship, currently in Highwind Mode, weaved through the many tight corridors of the structure their target had escaped to. Every now and then, the connection routes would force the Gummi Ship to destroy a specific enemy ship before the way out would open.

Even as the Gummi Ship scraped the side of a wall, the passengers still stayed in their seats, trying to figure out a way to take down this marauding monster ship.

"Damn it, we've already made _three laps_ through this place and we _still_ can't catch up!" Maylin shouted. "How fast _is_ this thing that it can outrun us in Highwind Mode?!"

After a few more turns, Marie had a brainstorm. "Allow me," Marie quipped, sliding next to Haruka so she could take the controls.

To the group's surprise, Marie actually turned the ship around, flying back along the path they'd come from.

Nick was about to question why Marie was retracing their steps, until after a few more moments, the Nobody ship came into view, still charging along its path only to stop in what seemed like surprise when it saw the Gummi Ship approaching it.

Knowing this, the Nobody ship began to turn around and escape the other way, but Marie was having none of that, dramatically slamming her fist down on a button and causing the Gummi Ship to fire a barrage of lasers at the Nobody ship. The blasts struck true, destroying the Nobody ship's engine and causing it to spin out and eventually crash into a corridor wall, promptly exploding.

"And _that's_ how it's done," Marie proclaimed triumphantly as she piloted the Gummi Ship out of the corridors and into the sky, away from the maze and into the large keyhole, eventually coming back out into the Lanes Between. The barrier surrounding the large manor vanished, and the door to the connection route closed.

"All right, Marie!" Nick exclaimed, high-fiving his sister. "That was quite the trick!"

"I figured, hey, since he's not stopping, why not just turn around and meet him there, then blast him to dust?" Marie laughed. "If it worked for Buck Rogers and those Mario Kart ripoffs, it should work here, right?"

"Isn't that the truth," Nick quipped as the Gummi Ship headed for the new world.

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** Within the depths of the Scarlet Devil Mansion lies a dark secret... or at least that's what its mistress, Remilia Scarlet, has to say about it. Despite the warnings, our heroes feel the need to check it out, considering that the Heartless are still up to no good. But who or what exactly is waiting at the bottom, if anything? Is it just a trick to get people to stay away from the mansion? Or is there something hiding down there that not even Remilia knows about?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **Author's Note/For Today's World:** On this episode, we're moving on to the Touhou Project by ZUN, specifically to an adventure inside the Scarlet Devil Mansion. We're not adapting any specific game, so this is going to be an original story.

* * *

Episode 11: Carnival of Crimson

"Wow, pretty swanky," Maylin quipped as she gazed towards the large and extravagant mansion they'd landed right in front of. "This place _definitely_ puts the Schnee Dust Company to shame."

"Does anyone know who exactly lives here?" Haruka wondered. "Because I have no idea how the owners feel about trespassers, and the only reason those guards at the SDC let us off was because we saved them from Heartless."

"If only we could do that again, huh?" Nick stated.

Marie quickly summoned Rainfell when she noticed a large shadow slithering across the ground and right through the front gates of the mansion.

"Um, guys, we've got trouble!" Marie exclaimed.

"I saw it, too! Let's move, move, _move_!" Maylin replied, and the group dashed for the front gates.

"Stand back, everyone," Haruka proclaimed, summoning Rumbling Rose. "I'm gonna have to cut the gate down."

"Sorry, but you're not doing that today."

Nick tensed up when he saw the gatekeeper approaching them, her eyes narrowed enough to make her intent obvious.

"Listen, miss, we _really_ need to get inside," Nick started, only to have to duck down quickly to avoid a flying spin kick that was aiming for his head.

"That's not happening," Hong Meiling proclaimed, shifting into a fighting stance. "You're gonna regret trying to trespass when I'm _not_ taking a nap."

Nick just sighed in obvious frustration. "All right, then, I guess we're doing this the hard way," Nick growled, raising his right hand and summoning Gravity Queen.

Meiling took a step back before leaping forward with impressive agility, aiming an overhead kick for Nick, who quickly raised Gravity Queen above him to block the strike before retaliating with a Round Break.

With Meiling stumbling, Maylin reached for a spell coin. _"Force, know my plight! Release the light! FREEZE!"_ Maylin chanted, striking the coin and casting Blizzaga on Meiling.

Haruka rushed in to attack even as Meiling recovered herself and began to lash out with many different martial arts moves. Haruka swung Rumbling Rose to intercept as many attacks as she could.

"Hey, you're not half-bad," Meiling admitted. "You're the first humans beside that witch who actually put up a decent fight."

Haruka raised Rumbling Rose to block a double punch, then ducked and swung hard to sweep Meiling off of her feet.

"I've got this one!" Marie shouted, her body shimmering with darkness. _"Style Change: Dark Impulse!"_

Darkness exploded from Marie's body, covering her in a dark aura and surrounding her free hand with a wicked-looking dark claw.

"Here's where things get fun!" Marie proclaimed, charging towards the stumbling Meiling and attacking with a wicked flurry of keyblade strikes, mostly quick slashes and overhead spins, ending by thrusting her free hand forward and projecting a larger version of her dark claw forward to attack Meiling.

Despite this, Meiling quickly recovered and aimed an overhead slam for Marie, but at almost the last second, Marie created a pool of darkness underneath her and dove down into it, coming back up right under Meiling and projecting an even larger dark claw straight upwards, dragging Meiling into the air with it.

"Now _please_ let us through!" Marie exclaimed. "We don't have time for this pointless fight! Everyone in that mansion is in danger!"

"Wait, from what?" Meiling wondered.

"Tell me you saw that shadow slithering through the gates!" Maylin shouted. "That means the Heartless are in there by now!"

"W-wait, Heartless? What kind of youkai is _that_?" Meiling gasped.

"Heartless are creatures born of the darkness in people's hearts," Haruka explained. "And if they got into the mansion, everyone there's in deep trouble. We need to go _now_."

"Guess that means I've gotta go, too," Meiling replied. "I'll go warn everyone!"

And with that, Meiling split off from the group and quickly opened the gates so she could rush into the mansion with the keyblade wielders close behind her.

Meiling took a different path, rushing up a nearby staircase to find the other residents, while the group went towards the entrance hall.

Despite this, Marie couldn't help but shiver a bit.

"Everything all right, sis?" Nick asked.

"Um... does anyone else feel like we're being watched?" Marie asked, summoning Rainfell again.

"Not really, no," Maylin answered.

"Because I can _definitely_ feel it," Marie replied. "I don't know if it's because my dark powers are letting me tune in to all that evilness, but..."

Before Nick could question what exactly Marie was sensing, something rushed through the air at almost undetectable speeds and snatched Nick by the neck, lifting him into the air.

It was a girl who appeared around Marie's age, maybe slightly younger, with bright red eyes, short light-blue hair and a light-pink mob cap with a red ribbon decorated with white stripes. She was wearing a light-pink dress with a red ribbon and red trimmings on both sleeves, a large red ribbon behind her waist with white stripes and a necklace featuring a Caduceus-like centerpiece. The pair of bat-like wings sprouting from her back indicated that she must be a vampire.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Remilia Scarlet giggled. "An intruder in our mansion, huh? You don't look like a youkai, so how did you get in here?"

Nick, naturally, couldn't answer, given that Remilia's hand was clutching his neck and making him unable to respond.

"Eh, what does it matter, really?" Remilia stated. "Guess I'll just take my fill before Sakuya starts tearing the place down just to find me."

When Remilia opened her mouth and revealed her extremely sharp vampire fangs, her intent obvious, Marie quickly summoned Rainfell, clutching its handle tightly.

"Let him go," Marie growled.

"Oh, come on, I'm not gonna drink _all_ of it," Remilia stated. "Just a little bit will suffice. I'm not really that hungry right now anyway."

Marie raised Rainfell, its blade glowing with a dark haze. "I _said..._ "

Remilia glanced back down at Marie, that dark power having interested her. "Hm?"

"LET HIM GO!" Marie screamed, swinging Rainfell and unleashing a wave of darkness from its blade that passed right through Remilia, forcing her to let go of Nick as they both dropped to the ground. Once Remilia was on the floor, Marie proceeded to attack her with what appeared to be Nick's Sonic Blade attack, except Marie left trails of darkness with each dashing strike.

"Ah, you control the darkness pretty well," Remilia admitted, not really looking at all fazed by Marie's attack. "Looks like this will be interesting after all."

Remilia spread her wings and floated into the air, her eyes glowing.

"You're gonna regret nearly turning me into a blood-sucker like you, lady," Nick growled, readying himself for a fight.

"Yeah, _nobody_ hurts my big brother and gets away with it!" Marie shouted.

"Oh, trust me, you're gonna wish you never messed with my best buddy in the multiverse!" Maylin proclaimed. "Haruka, let's stomp the vampire!"

"Oh, you know it," Haruka laughed.

With that, everybody summoned their keyblades for battle.

Remilia flew towards Nick first, but he stopped her by casting Reflect at the last possible second so that she crashed into the barrier. Maylin followed this up with a Thunder spell that blasted Remilia backwards, giving Marie ample time to follow up with a Watera spell.

As Remilia catapulted through the air, she quickly righted herself and began to fire shots of Red Magic, large red energy discs that left magical residue along their flight path.

"All right, this is getting annoying," Marie groaned. "Big bro, should we just go crazy on her?"

"Best idea I've heard today," Nick replied, and Marie ran over to him, the two siblings joining hands so they could unite into Shadow Form.

"Oh?" Remilia quipped, impressed by this new tactic.

Shadow Form Nick simply smirked before leaping forward with his two black Kingdom Keys to slash wildly at Remilia.

In the middle of this flurry of attacks, Remilia became a swarm of bats and dashed away, reforming a few feet away to charge at Shadow Form Nick while he was distracted, only to be knocked back when Shadow Form Nick thrust both of his keyblades downwards to unleash a barrage of dark energy blades in a spiral around him.

"Oh, I'm not done yet!" Remilia proclaimed, her eyes glowing brighter and brighter.

"Oh, that can't be good," Maylin quipped.

"My lady, that is quite enough."

Remilia stopped in her tracks, her eyes fading to their normal shade of red, when she looked down and saw her maid staring at her. She had bright red eyes much like Remilia's, silver hair worn in long braids on both sides of her face with green bows at the ends and a white maid headband. She was wearing a pink, white and dark blue French maid's outfit with an apron, short sleeves and a green ribbon.

"Aw, Sakuya, why'd you stop me now?" Remilia groaned. "I was just getting into it! This is the most fun I've had in a long time!"

"Lady Remilia, they were merely exploring," Sakuya Izayoi answered. "I do not know how they found their way in here, but if they were malicious, they no doubt would have attacked you first."

Remilia sighed dramatically. "I suppose you're right."

"Also, my lady, did you even look at the weapons they are carrying?" Sakuya continued. "That is most obviously the reason they have found themselves here."

Remilia once again glanced at Nick, clutching Oathkeeper tightly in his hands.

"Oh, they're keyblade wielders?" Remilia quipped. "Hopefully you're the good kind this time."

"Wait, good ones?" Nick asked. "Did someone with a keyblade attack this place or something? Because we might know a couple suspects."

Remilia and Sakuya glanced at each other, nodding in assent as Remilia recounted recent events while floating back to the ground.

"That's... probably why I got so caught up in attacking an intruder, because of that guy," Remilia explained. "I couldn't honestly tell you who _exactly_ he was, since his whole body was covered in this brown and gold armor. It was strange."

Maylin gasped loudly after Remilia's explanation. There was only one person she knew that wore armor like that.

"Wait, Maylin, do you know that guy somehow?" Haruka asked.

"O-of course I do! That was Terra!" Maylin proclaimed. "Lady Remilia, do you either you or Sakuya know what exactly Terra was doing here?"

"We were going to ask him ourselves, but he attacked us, using the power of darkness and severely damaging the mansion," Sakuya continued. "We were able to fend him off, but when we had him cornered, he simply vanished through a portal. He never said a word, either."

"That... doesn't sound like the Terra I know," Maylin sighed.

"What do you think happened to him?" Haruka asked.

"Ven said that Terra had been taken by the darkness when Izanami-no-Mikoto attacked the Land of Departure," Maylin stated. "What if he was corrupted by her darkness?"

"That means we need to find him," Marie proclaimed. "I know what it's like to be a puppet of the darkness. I don't want anyone else to suffer that same fate."

"I don't know if he has come back, but you are welcome to search the mansion if you need to," Sakuya stated. "Just do not take any books from the library without our express permission. We have had... shall we say, 'problems' with certain people stealing from the library lately. Patchouli and Koakuma are not happy."

"Sounds like they have a bit of a klepto problem," Marie giggled.

"Come on guys, we'd better start looking," Maylin proclaimed. "Who knows if Terra decided to come back..."

With that all said, Remilia and Sakuya retreated back to the main area of the mansion, leaving the group to descend down a nearby flight of stairs in hopes of finding Terra before he caused any more destruction.

"Oof, this place is creepy at times, isn't it?" Haruka quipped.

"Well, to be fair, it's home to a bunch of vampires, fairies, and god only knows what else," Maylin answered. "I'd think it'd be standard."

"Hey, Maylin, is everything okay?" Nick wondered, walking closer to Maylin. "You seem a little on edge."

"I'm just worried about Terra," Maylin answered. "I really hope we can get through to him before he's completely taken by the darkness... he's always been trying to hold back his darkness, since he's kinda scared of what could happen if he lets it grow too strong..."

"Wait, Maylin, aren't light and darkness supposed to be in balance?" Haruka answered. "That's what Himerish taught _us_ , right?"

"You can blame that on Terra's own teacher," Maylin explained, remembering the past like it was only yesterday. "Master Eraqus was... shall we say, _against_ the idea of darkness. He believed that it was a keyblade wielder's duty to rid the world of darkness despite the widespread ideal of balance. It was the main reason Terra failed his first Mark of Mastery exam, because Terra accidentally channeled some of his darkness during the exam. Despite that, Master Eraqus actually decided to give Terra another shot, since he was working to control it better. But that's when the darkness destroyed the Land of Departure, and I haven't heard from Master Eraqus since."

"Maybe that's why Izanami-no-Mikoto took Terra when the Land of Departure was destroyed," Nick realized. "She probably wanted a backup plan just in case something went wrong. It's what I'd do."

"Maybe, but she can't act on that plan anymore, since she's toast," Maylin quipped. "I just hope we're not too late..."

As the group made their way through a hallway that led to the library, several Heartless flew down from the ceiling to attack them. They were all bat-like Heartless with small, oval-shaped bodies, a jagged mouth, and large wings with a spike on each close to its head. Its body was blue, and a short silver chain connected its body to a large red hook with a yellow base.

"Oh, how appropriate," Maylin quipped, summoning Counterpoint.

"Hook Bats are evasive little buggers," Haruka explained to Nick. "They like to fly around and hit you with loop-de-loop attacks, but if you can get a hold of their hooks, you can swing them around and bash the others."

One of the Hook Bats flew through the air towards Maylin, but she simply pounced on it and drove Counterpoint into its face, swiftly destroying it, before whirling around to blast another Hook Bat with a Firaga spell.

As another Hook Bat attempted to bite down on Nick, he simply sidestepped it before reaching out to snatch its hook. After dodging an ultrasonic wave from another Hook Bat, Nick leaped into the center of the swarm and began swinging the Hook Bat in his hands around like a flail, damaging any other Heartless who dared get too close.

Marie chose to hang back and fire bursts of darkness at any Hook Bat who decided to invade her personal space, but when a group of them surrounded her, she attacked with Chaos Blade, her darkness-enhanced version of Nick's Sonic Blade attack, mowing down each Hook Bat with super-speed dash attacks.

Still, more Hook Bats swarmed in, but Haruka was already on the move, spinning around in her place with Rumbling Rose and creating a typhoon of sorts around her as she did so. Any Hook Bat that was caught in the Windcutter attack was instantly destroyed.

And finally, the swarm stopped spawning in, allowing the group to catch their breath.

"Now I see what you mean," Nick quipped. "Those things are annoying in spades."

"Don't I know it," Haruka sighed. "Come on, let's keep moving."

Maylin couldn't help but sigh nostalgically when she saw Haruka performing the Windcutter attack, as it was very similar to an attack Terra absolutely loved to spam.

After closing the large double doors behind them, the group moved into the library, Maylin in particular marveling at the sheer volume of books and other such tomes that this library contained.

"No wonder Remilia's so sick of people wanting to steal stuff from here," Haruka quipped. "Just _look_ at all of these books!"

"Excuse me, may I help you?"

Nick followed the voice to a girl sitting down by a table at the opposite end of the area. She had long purple hair and matching eyes, and was wearing pink pajamas and a nightcap with a gold crescent moon embedded on it.

"I didn't think we'd be getting visitors to the library so late at night," Patchouli Knowledge stated. "You're not with that witch, are you?"

"Witch?" Maylin repeated. "Oh, no, not her. Remilia told us about _that_ little upstart on the way here. We're just... well, we're looking for someone, and we have reason to believe they may still be somewhere in the mansion."

Patchouli's expression immediately softened at that explanation. "Would they possibly be someone in full body armor, carrying a peculiar key-shaped weapon like yours?" Patchouli asked.

"Terra!" Maylin exclaimed. "Which way did he go?"

"Last I saw of him, he was heading into the basement," Patchouli answered. "He seemed quite the ruffian, so I assume you all are going to stop him?"

"Hopefully before he does something even worse than what he's already done," Haruka replied.

"Just make sure he does not wake the young mistress that sleeps down there," Patchouli warned. "It would not end well for anyone."

A series of footsteps alerted everyone to the presence of another intruder in the library, though Nick was confused at first. After all, this new arrival was a girl that was slightly shorter than him, with brown eyes, ginger orange hair, and two long straight oni horns on her head, decorated with ribbons. She was wearing a tattered pale pink blouse, a long purple and pink skirt, and three chain accessories tied to her belt.

"Um..." Nick quipped.

Patchouli, however, was immediately on the offensive, opening her spellbook in response. "What are _you_ doing here, Suika?" Patchouli growled. "Didn't you have enough the last time you went on a drunken binge?!"

But Suika Ibuki didn't respond, simply standing there and shaking slightly.

 **("Koborezu no Negaigoto" by senya of Yuuhei Satellite plays)**

Patchouli was about to activate a spell card and send Suika packing by force when the young oni lifted her head and opened her eyes, revealing bright yellow eyes that were a mark of possession by the Heartless.

"Oh, crap!" Nick shouted, summoning Gravity Queen to his hands. "Patchouli, you'd better get ready for a throwdown, because I think she's been possessed by the Heartless!"

Suika responded to this by rushing forward and slamming her fists into the ground, causing two large fireballs to leap into the air from the impact point before exploding when they reached the ground.

Nick wisely backed away from the explosions before moving back in to attack, landing four clean hits on Suika before she jumped away, swinging her long hair and creating multiple copies of herself to swarm Nick.

"Okay, I've had enough of _that_ today, thanks!" Nick proclaimed, leaping into the air to attack the clones before feeling time slow down for him. Gravity Queen's teeth were shining, indicating he had learned a new ability.

As time resumed for him, Nick spun around, creating a large orb around him with the properties of a Magnet spell, as in it drew in all of the clones and even Suika herself to spin around him for a few seconds before he swung Gravity Queen in a flourish, causing the Magnet bubble to explode, disintegrate the clones, and send Suika herself flying.

"And _fear_ Magnet Splash!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Name the attack later, Maylin! She's coming right back!" Haruka shouted, readying herself as Suika performed a flying kick that she blocked easily by raising Rumbling Rose, then slashing it upwards to make Suika stumble.

Before Haruka could get her bearings, Suika recovered and raised her right hand, creating a crystal spike from the ground that blasted Haruka backwards. Even as Haruka tried to regain her balance, both her body and keyblade began to glow with a bright pink light.

"Okay, that's it. _Style Change: Wingblade!_ " Haruka shouted, the pink light surrounding her exploding outwards. When the flash died down, Haruka was floating slightly off the ground, the glow surrounding her and the six pink energy swords floating just behind her in the position of wings making her look like an angel.

"Now snap out of it before we have to _really_ rough you up!" Haruka exclaimed, rushing towards Suika while she was recovering from her spell.

Haruka began to attack rapidly, swinging Divewing in wide, sweeping strikes and stabs. As she did so, the six energy swords she'd gained also began to attack in seemingly random patterns with each strike Haruka made, as if they had a will of their own.

When her combo was finished, Haruka ended off by stabbing four of her blades forward at once, then leaping into the air and performing a powerful downward slash with the last two energy blades and Divewing, causing a burst of wind to erupt from the point of impact and drive Suika back.

Suika wasn't one to admit defeat, though, quickly recovering and dashing forward with a thrusting punch that ended with a fiery explosion around her fist.

"Whoa!" Haruka exclaimed, juking to the side to avoid the punch, only to be rocked by the explosion.

"Can you keep her occupied for a little while?" Patchouli proclaimed. "I need time to charge up my own spell card!"

Suika sensed weakness, jumping through the air towards Patchouli, only for Haruka to leap out to intercept by raising three of her blades as a makeshift shield.

"No running, Suika," Haruka laughed, leaping into the air, then gestured to the ground with her free hand. Her six energy swords responded to this by launching themselves back to the ground and planting themselves in a circle formation around Suika. For the finale, Haruka practically teleported back to the ground and slammed her palm into the floor in the center of the circle. The energy blades emitted magic runes before unleashing a powerful shockwave that sent Suika flying.

When Suika landed on the ground again, she simply surrounded herself with darkness before growing to at least six times her original size.

"Okay, no one told us she could do _that_!" Maylin shouted, firing off a Thunder spell only for it to do little to the now super-sized Suika.

"Not good," Marie quipped. "Any ideas, Nick?"

"I may have something. _Style Change: Fever Pitch!_ " Nick shouted, his body and keyblade suddenly enveloped in a bright green aura. Suika leaped through the air and came back down with an earth-shaking stomp, causing the entire library to rattle, but Nick leaped to avoid the quake and struck out at Suika, his swing now lightning fast.

"Just a little more, guys!" Nick exclaimed, charging in to attack Suika with ultra-fast diagonal swings, ending with a combo finisher that spun him forward like a drill to push Suika back.

As Nick advanced again, Suika stomped downwards to knock him back. This didn't stop Nick, though, who utilized the super speed that Fever Pitch granted him to right himself quickly and get right back into the fray, attacking Suika with four lightning-fast swings before swiping Gravity Queen straight upwards, causing five beams of light to shoot out in a fan-shaped formation from underneath him and send Suika stumbling back, right into Patchouli's path.

"You're mine!" Patchouli exclaimed, leaping to right in front of Suika and raising her spellbook to the sky. _"Moon Sign: Silent Selene!"_

A magic circle appeared under Patchouli, spinning rapidly before unleashing a great upwards torrent of magic all around her, causing massive damage to Suika and eventually causing her to seize up, a glowing keyhole appearing on her chest.

"There we go! One purification beam comin' up!" Nick proclaimed, aiming Gravity Queen for the keyhole and firing a beam of light into it. With the keyhole unlocked, Suika eventually shrank back down to her normal size and shook her head in confusion. When she opened her eyes, they were back to her normal shade of brown.

"Ugh... what happened?" Suika gasped. "Why am I... wait, why am I in the Scarlet Devil Library?!"

"No clue, honestly," Nick answered. "But the darkness must have corrupted you somehow."

"Ooh, just wait until I find that conniving trickster who put me under!" Suika proclaimed. "I'll show them a thing or two!"

"Not so fast, Suika," Patchouli stated, an edge to her voice that made the group decide that now was the perfect time to back away. "Despite what just happened, that doesn't excuse what you did last time."

"EEP!" Suika squeaked before she took off like a rocket with Patchouli in pursuit. "It wasn't my fault, honest! How am I supposed to know what I'm doing when I'm that drunk?!"

"No excuse!" Patchouli shot back. "If you're going to drink, don't do it when you're in the middle of our mansion!"

Before Nick could ask what was happening, someone floated down on a flying broom while watching the chase.

"Well, that was unexpected, ze," Marisa Kirisame quipped. "But I guess that leaves an opening for me."

"Wait a minute, aren't you that witch that keeps stealing books from this library?" Marie asked.

"If anyone asks, you didn't see me," Marisa giggled before flying off to assess the situation.

"YOU!"

"Uh-oh," Marisa gulped when she realized that Patchouli was aware of her presence. "G-Gotta go, ze!"

Even as Patchouli began to fling blasts of magic from her spellbook, Marisa easily dodged them all while flying through the air, laughing all the while.

"And I'm guessing that's our cue to beat it," Nick quipped. "I _really_ don't think I want to get caught up in this."

"All right, then, where should we search next?" Haruka asked.

"The basement, of course!" Maylin cut in. "That's where Patchouli said she saw Terra going, right?"

And so, leaving behind the three-way chase that was rattling the library, the group retreated back the way they'd come from and took another staircase further down that would hopefully lead to the basement.

"Everyone's so quirky here, huh?" Marie laughed. "I mean, we have a childish vampire, a time-stopping maid, a super magician, an oni who can grow to tremendous sizes, and a kleptomaniac witch!"

"Every world has its own flavor, doesn't it?" Haruka proclaimed. "That's why it's so much fun for us to see all of these different worlds and find out who's out there beyond our shores."

"And I'm sure these two have been to many other worlds that even _I_ haven't seen before," Nick quipped. "Right, Maylin? ...um, Maylin, is everything okay?"

It turned out that Maylin was just staring ahead, towards a girl wearing a black dress with white sleeves, with long red hair, purple eyes, and a small pair of bat wings sprouting from the sides of her head. She was glancing down at something on the floor, obviously slightly irritated.

"I really wish the young mistress wouldn't leave her trash all over the floor," Koakuma sighed, standing up to retrieve the pieces, only to notice the four keyblade wielders approaching. "Oh, are you the ones Lady Remilia told us about?"

"K-Koakuma?" Maylin asked. "What _is_ that?"

Koakuma looked back down at the remains of the object. "I don't know, to be honest. I just found it here while on my way to the library."

Maylin crouched down to check it out, hoping that she wasn't seeing this.

It appeared to be a keyblade made out of wood, vaguely resembling a cross between Nick's old Kingdom Key and Terra's old keyblade, Ends of the Earth. And it was broken into four pieces.

"Did... somebody make a wooden keyblade?" Marie asked.

"No," Maylin gasped. "That was Terra's old training keyblade. It was sort of a present from him to Ven when he started training with Master Eraqus. Ven was very insecure about still not having a keyblade to use, so Terra gave Ven his old wooden keyblade he'd made to practice with. Eventually, when Ven received Wayward Wind, he gave it back to Terra as a memento of their friendship."

A few tears began to fall from Maylin's eyes. "W-why did he break it?" Maylin gasped.

"Hold on, why do you think Terra would do that to something that meant so much to him?" Marie asked.

"I don't know what the darkness has been doing to him since we got separated," Maylin admitted. "We need to find him. _Now_."

Her hands still shaking, Maylin walked over to scoop up the broken pieces of the wooden keyblade. "Koakuma, is it okay if I keep this?" Maylin asked. "It belonged to a friend of mine, and I want to fix it up and return it to him."

"By all means," Koakuma replied. "I'm not going to stop you if it means that much to you."

As the group continued their trek to the basement, Maylin began to reminisce about the day Ventus had re-gifted the wooden keyblade back to Terra, seeing the surprise on Terra's face. She also realized that moments like that would most likely never happen again unless they freed Terra from the darkness that was controlling him. Ventus and Aqua were still searching for him, after all.

Once they reached the basement, Maylin was the first to see the damage that had been done to many areas of the basement, no doubt caused by the rampage that Remilia had said Terra had gone on during his previous visit.

"Terra..." Maylin sighed.

"This is insane," Nick quipped. "I know he's being controlled, but..."

"Is... is he gone?"

Nick looked around for the source of that voice (noticing that this was becoming a pattern), eventually following it to a damaged door that was halfway open. Inside was a girl about Remilia's age, with piercing red eyes almost exactly like Remilia's, short blond hair tied into a single ponytail on her left side, and wearing a red dress and vest, with a pink shirt underneath and a pink mob cap with a red ribbon.

"Is who gone?" Nick asked the girl.

"That weird guy in the armor," Flandre Scarlet answered. "He just came down here and started wrecking everything up! I tried to crush his 'eye' and destroy him, but I couldn't. Something about him wasn't letting me do it..."

"So Terra _was_ here..." Haruka proclaimed. "Did you see which way he went?"

"He walked into a portal and left," Flandre admitted. "I really wanted to hurt him... he made big sis so mad..."

Flandre then gasped when she saw the group's keyblades. "W-wait, you have weapons like him?!" Flandre exclaimed.

"We're not going to attack you," Maylin quickly replied. "In fact, we're trying to find the guy who busted this place up. He's one of my old friends, and something's very wrong with him."

"Ooh, just let me at him again if he comes back!" Flandre exclaimed. "I'll wreck him just like he wrecked my house up!"

Nick stepped into Flandre's room, having noticed all of the very professional-looking drawings that lined the walls of the room.

"Say, you're a pretty good artist, aren't you?" Nick asked, hoping to temporarily draw the conversation away from Terra and spare Maylin from _those_ thoughts.

"Oh, you noticed?" Flandre giggled. "Yeah, I'm really good at drawing! Since I'm stuck down here a lot, I really don't have much to do, so I decided to practice drawing stuff!"

Nick walked around the room, studying some of the drawings. A lot of them were of Flandre and Remilia, obviously, but many of them were also parts of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, a few were of that strange witch who always came to steal books from the library...

But one drawing in particular caught his attention. It was of a boy about his age with spiky brown hair and an outfit very similar to the one he was wearing. And he was carrying what looked like the Kingdom Key in his right hand.

"Wha...?" Nick gasped.

"Yeah, I just realized he looks a lot like you!" Flandre giggled. "But you have normal hair and he has spiky hair. Weird, huh?"

"Have you seen that boy before?" Haruka asked.

"Oh, once or twice," Flandre answered. "I don't think he saw me, but he was definitely down here. One time, he was actually here with a dog and a duck! Patchy didn't know what to make of it!"

Nick began thinking, wondering what this meant. _Could he maybe be a version of myself from, say, another dimension?_ Nick thought. _Because, hey, after all our adventures, I'd believe anything at this point._

Despite that thought, Nick noted that the only real things he had in common with that boy were the similar clothes and keyblade.

Before he could ponder on it any further, Nick noticed a glow somewhere in the room. Turning back around, Nick noticed a glowing keyhole forming on the door to Flandre's room, no doubt the world's keyhole.

"Ooh, shiny!" Flandre laughed.

Nick summoned Oathkeeper and raised it to fire a beam of light into the keyhole, sealing it off with a loud click.

"And that's that," Nick quipped.

"I guess that means you have to go now?" Flandre asked. "Awww, that's sad. I really wanted to play some more!"

Just as Maylin was about to respond, she was nearly knocked off her feet when a powerful rumble began to shake the surrounding area.

"What the hell was that?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"It sounds like it's coming from..." Flandre started, only to gasp in shock. "Oh, no! Big sis might be in trouble!"

"Then let's get back up there and kick some butt!" Marie proclaimed.

With Flandre in tow, the group double-timed it back to the main lobby of the mansion. Even though a few stubborn Heartless attacked, Flandre was able to easily destroy them by reaching for their "eye" and crushing it with her hand, thus destroying the Heartless.

Flandre described it as moving the "eye" of the object, where the tension was highest, into the palm of her hand, then pouring her power into it. Or, in Flandre's words, she "went squeeze and then it went boom".

The group was really thankful for this, as one of those Heartless had been a Crimson Jazz, and Maylin was definitely in no mood to deal with "that mine-laying super-armored jerk", in her own words.

As they continued to ascend the mansion, through the library and back out into the main hall, they all noticed that the place was looking pretty trashed, as if...

"Hey, that looks like mister armor's work!" Flandre exclaimed. "This is the same thing he did last time!"

That was all the incentive Maylin needed to book it towards the entrance hall, where Remilia could be seen clashing with an armored figure.

Maylin just stopped in her tracks, knowing who the armored figure was before it even noticed them.

"F-Flandre, what are you doing out?!" Remilia exclaimed.

"We'll keep her safe, Lady Remilia, don't worry," Haruka answered.

Maylin clenched her fist tightly and stepped forward, even as the armored figure prepared to lunge at Remilia again.

"Don't even think about it, jerk!" Remilia growled, preparing herself.

"TERRA!" Maylin shouted, catching the armored figure's attention. It stopped in mid-jump and slowly turned around to face her.

The figure's helmet was mostly gold, except for its black visor, and it sported two upward-pointing red prongs, one on either side of its helmet. The arms, legs, and ribs of the armor were black and had orange patterns decorating them. Its knee guards, gauntlets, breast plate, and armored boots were gold, and there were other, smaller pieces of gold armor on its legs. The front of the armor on its torso was red, as were small pieces of armor on its lower legs and gauntlets.

The keyblade the figure was carrying was a long keyblade that appeared chipped and very asymmetrical in its design. The handle was smooth, red-orange, and surrounded by a roughly rectangular guard. The guard was predominantly black, fading into dark red toward the base of the blade, and had uneven, chipped spikes on each of its corners. The shaft of the blade was black with a faded bronze border along its edges, which were lined with prominent chips. The head of the blade was decorated by several chipped and oddly-shaped red-orange spikes with black tips, which also formed the teeth. What appeared to be the Master's Gazing Eye was also set in the head of the blade.

Terra simply raised the Chaos Ripper as if he was about to attack.

 _Don't do this, Terra, please,_ Maylin thought. _You have to fight back!_

"What... what is he doing now?" Sakuya thought, ready to step in if she was needed.

Terra took a step forward, then rocketed forward like a lightning bolt, charging straight for Maylin. In her surprise, Maylin was unable to get Counterpoint up in time, and Terra attacked her with three wide swings from Chaos Ripper before finishing off by transforming Chaos Ripper into a drill and thrusting forward, sending Maylin stumbling back.

"Terra, stop!" Maylin shouted.

Terra chose not to listen, instead leaping into the air before rushing forward in three dash attacks, trailing darkness behind him as he did so, each strike crashing into Maylin before she could react.

Maylin struggled to keep her balance, as those attacks had hurt. Just as she was about to reach for a spell coin to heal herself, Terra transformed his keyblade into a large cannon and fired off a Spirit Bomb-esque energy ball that exploded in Maylin's face and sent her flying backwards before anyone else could make a move to save her. Maylin crashed into a nearby statue, the impact instantly knocking her unconscious and causing Counterpoint to disappear.

As Terra advanced, Nick jumped in front of him, summoning Truth Seeker to his hands and unleashing an Ars Arcanum.

"Friend of Maylin or not, you're gonna wish you never did that!" Nick shouted as he landed the final blow of Ars Arcanum and caused Terra to take a few steps back before leaping into the air, his keyblade transforming into a speeder bike so he could rocket around the entrance hall and attack Nick as he passed by.

Nick kept swinging Ecopoint to counter Terra on each pass he made until his Keyblade Glider returned to being just his keyblade and went on the offensive, landing four swings before blasting Terra back with a Ripple Drive.

"Try that on _me,_ asshole. _I dare you_ ," Nick proclaimed.

Sure enough, Terra took the bait and attacked with his three-swing combo with drill finisher, but Nick simply cast Reflect to block all four attacks before shattering it with a flourish of Truth Seeker and sending all the damage back to Terra.

Despite this, Terra didn't look like he'd been hurt at all, most likely due to his armor.

"All right, guess we're stepping it up," Nick proclaimed. "Marie, go see if Maylin's okay!"

"On it!" Marie responded, saluting to Nick before rushing over to check on Maylin.

"Haruka, let's get down to business," Nick stated.

"Oh, you know it," Haruka laughed, sliding over to put her hand on Nick's shoulder. Terra readied himself as Nick and Haruka united into Valor Form, dual-wielding Rumbling Rose and Victory Crown.

"You're going to regret hurting my friend, buddy," Valor Form Nick proclaimed.

Terra simply rushed in to attack Valor Form Nick, the two of them trading blows rapid-fire for a few seconds before Valor Form Nick lashed out with Over the Horizon, catching Terra off guard so he could swing straight into a Sonic End, knocking the armored warrior backwards.

Just as Valor Form Nick was about to go back on the offensive, Terra jumped and began swinging Chaos Ripper like mad, creating a sphere of cutting light around himself. Valor Form Nick was forced to stay his attack until Terra was finished, only to have his swing deflected. Terra pressed his opportunity to leap into the air and come back down by planting Chaos Ripper into the ground and creating a shockwave that forced Valor Form Nick a few steps away.

"Wrong move!" Valor Form Nick exclaimed, rushing right back into the fray and attacking four times before sending Terra into the air with Valor Shot. Marie leaped forward and hopped off of Nick's shoulders to get enough height to slam Rainfell down and spike Terra back to the ground.

As Terra bounced off the ground, Marie quickly rushed back to Maylin, hoping she would wake up soon.

A flash suddenly caught their attention, as Terra had raised Chaos Ripper to the sky, his body surrounded by flashes of light and electricity. He quickly dashed forward, so quickly he appeared to have teleported, and furiously attacked Valor Form Nick with multiple wide slashes before finishing with an overhead strike that caused a beam of light to rip through the air.

Terra wasn't done yet, though, waving his hands and causing two rings of light shaped like clockwork gears to appear around him, spinning rapidly and further damaging Valor Form Nick.

Even as Valor Form Nick landed, Terra continued his berserker attack, vanishing for a brief second before slashing wildly with multiple teleporting attacks and not giving Valor Form Nick any chance to escape.

Terra finished his attack with a great dark shockwave that sent Valor Form Nick flying into a higher wall of the mansion before crashing back to the ground, unable to hold on to his form and separating back into Nick and Haruka.

"Oh, that's not good," Haruka gasped. "We just got knocked out of our Drive Form..."

"I didn't think that was possible!" Nick responded, balancing himself on Victory Crown only for Terra to start advancing.

 _Crap,_ Nick thought.

"Back off, Terra."

Nick glanced to his right and saw that Maylin was standing up, Counterpoint clenched tightly in her right hand.

"Come on, Nick, let's wake him up," Maylin proclaimed, walking over to Nick and hugging him tightly. Nick, despite his battle damage, returned Maylin's embrace, and the two united into Wisdom Form, causing Terra to take a few steps back.

"Sorry, Terra, but you leave me no choice," Wisdom Form Nick proclaimed, raising both Counterpoint and Fairy Stars. Remilia's body began to glow with a bright light as Wisdom Form Nick prepared to strike.

" _Harmonization Ready!"_ Wisdom Form Nick shouted, a ring of light surrounding him before shattering.

" _O power that lies at the root of all creation..."_ Wisdom Form Nick chanted, five large energy orbs, one pink, one blue, one red, one green, and one silver, appearing around him, each one embedded with the elemental symbol of the Guardian it represented.

" _O memory inscribed in ages past..."_ Wisdom Form Nick proclaimed, the orbs flying over to Terra and spiraling around him. _"Hear my call and arise before me!"_

Terra attempted to run out of the attack, only for the orbs to continually follow him.

" _Wisdom Sign: Ancient Catastrophe!"_ Wisdom Form Nick shouted, and the five energy orbs merged around Terra into one giant ball of elemental chaos that eventually exploded outward with all the force of a supernova, causing cracks to appear in Terra's armor as he was thrown backwards from the force of the explosion.

Terra fell to his knees as Wisdom Form Nick split back into Nick and Maylin, the young mage closely approaching the armored form of her long-time friend.

"Terra, please tell me you can still hear me in there," Maylin answered.

If Terra heard what Maylin said, he didn't make any indication, choosing to swing Chaos Ripper straight for Maylin...

...only for the demonic keyblade to stop just inches from Maylin's face.

Maylin easily noticed that Terra was suddenly clutching his head, as if her voice had gotten through to him somehow.

But before Maylin could continue reaching out, Terra simply brandished his keyblade and swung it to the sky, using it to open a portal to the Lanes Between. Maylin began to run towards Terra, only for the armored warrior to transform Chaos Ripper into his Keyblade Glider and drive into the portal, which closed almost instantly.

 _Terra... I was so close..._ Maylin thought.

"Well, _that_ didn't really go well, did it?" Haruka admitted, twirling Rumbling Rose in her hand. "We kinda got stomped back there, guys."

"Hey, look on the bright side," Nick replied as he shuffled close to Maylin so he could give her a hug. "From what we just saw, Maylin might have gotten through to him. We've just gotta fight harder next time we see him."

"T-thank you, Nick," Maylin stated, leaning up to kiss Nick on the cheek. "You're so sweet, you know that?"

"I've been told many times," Nick quipped.

Remilia and Flandre floated back down to the floor, having decided to take refuge in the air until the battle had concluded. Despite Remilia's confidence that she could have handled Terra, being an unknown in a world like this meant that Remilia decided to play it safe, especially since her sister was right there.

"He's still quite the ruffian," Remilia admitted.

"Meanie!" Flandre shouted.

"I don't know how much more we need to snap him out of it, but I hope it's soon," Maylin replied. "I'm not sure how much more of this I can take."

"I guess that means you will be moving on to other places?" Sakuya asked.

"Once we open the gate we need," Nick answered.

Flandre ran up to Nick, taking his hand so he could place something in it. "Then take this with you!" Flandre giggled. "Something to bring you luck on your quest!"

Nick attached the trinket to his keyblade and watched it transform into a new weapon. The handle consisted of curved bat wings like Remilia's, the handle was shaped like one of Sakuya's knives (without actually _being_ a knife, obviously), the hilt was a large golden crescent moon like the one on Patchouli's cap with two oni horns sticking out of it in opposite directions like Suika, the shaft resembled Marisa's broom decorated with the crystals of Flandre's wings, and the teeth was a trio of sharp vampire teeth topped off by the gold star from Meiling's beret. The keychain token, connected by a long red strand, was a combination of Remilia and Flandre's caps. As Nick studied the weapon, the words _Scarlet Witch_ ran through his mind.

Remilia turned around, having heard a noise from below, only to nearly jump backwards in shock when Marisa flew like a rocket up from the basement stairway, carrying a large collection of books on her broom.

"Sorry, ladies, gotta jet, ze!" Marisa proclaimed, laughing the whole way through, only to stop in her tracks when one of the books she'd pilfered began to glow and lift itself off of the others. "Um... okay... wait. Patchy, did you enchant these, ze?!"

Energy began to gather around Scarlet Witch's teeth, before eventually absorbing into the ground below Nick and creating the shape of a crown under his feet. As wind began to swirl around Nick's body as he channeled his power, the glow surrounding the book created a wave of light that eventually formed into a large keyhole in the sky.

Nick jumped back, spinning Scarlet Witch a few times before aiming and firing a beam of light from the keyblade into the keyhole. Reality seemed to shatter in a large circle around the keyhole, lines of light flowing into it before creating a bright flare that caused the keyhole to disappear.

"Yo, what's with the light show, ze? Was that you guys?" Marisa asked.

"Yep, that was us," Maylin answered. "It's time for us to move on."

"Um, Marisa, you may want to put those back if Patchouli's still out for your head," Haruka quipped.

"No way! I scored a serious haul this time!" Marisa laughed. "I'm not letting go of _this_ collection, ze!"

Nick simply smiled, raising Scarlet Witch and firing off a Thunder spell at Marisa's broom, causing her to juke to avoid it, only to drop all the books she had just stolen.

"Aw, man," Marisa groaned.

"Just take your chance and run before Patchy roasts you, okay?" Marie laughed. "You can always try again another time, right?"

"He who swindles and runs away lives to steal another day, ze," Marisa proclaimed. "Too true!"

And with that, Marisa flew away to continue her own adventures.

"And on that note, we should probably get going, too," Maylin quipped. "Gotta find Terra and get him back, after all."

"Please be careful out there," Sakuya proclaimed. "You saw for yourself how strong he is."

"I wouldn't be too worried, Sakuya," Maylin proclaimed. "After all, I know all of his moves. We trained together, don't ya know!"

But Nick definitely caught the way Maylin's voice caught when she mentioned it. Now that Maylin knew that Terra was still around and there was a chance to get him back to his old self and reunite the original trio, as she called them, she wasn't going to waste her opportunity.

And as they walked outside to return to the Gummi Ship, Nick decided that he wanted that as well. He knew the feeling of having stalwart friends who were always there for you no matter the problem or trouble.

After all, that was how he felt about all five members of W.I.T.C.H., and it was _definitely_ how he felt about Maylin, Haruka, and Marie.

* * *

"All right, fellow travelers, shall we move on to the next world that needs us?" Haruka asked.

"Let's set sail for adventure!" Maylin proclaimed.

Marie suddenly stiffened in her seat, her posture going rigid.

"M-Marie? Is everything all right?" Nick wondered. "You don't... usually do that..."

"Guys?" Marie asked. "I don't know if I told you this, but... because of what happened, being so close to the darkness for so long, I can... let's say I can _sense_ the presence of darkness around me. And there's a really strong dark energy heading towards one of the worlds..."

Haruka glanced back at the radar screen, bringing up a map she'd made of the worlds they had visited. Sure enough, a strange dark cloud was hanging over one of the worlds. Haruka zoomed in to check, and it was revealed to be the Land of Departure, the home world of Terra, Ventus and Aqua, and Maylin's former training grounds.

"W-w-what?!" Maylin stammered. "What's happening at the Land of Departure?!"

"Wait a minute, could _that_ be where Terra's going?" Marie asked.

"Regardless of the reasons, I think we need to get over there _right stat now_ ," Nick stated. "We promised Aqua we'd look over the place while she and Ven were away."

"Well, then let's chart a course for the Land of Departure!" Maylin proclaimed. "This could be our chance to get Terra back and bring the whole gang together again!"

"Your wish is my command," Haruka stated, charting the course. "Full speed ahead, and away we go!"

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New Harmonization acquired!_

 **Spell Card  
** _Drive Gauge Points Needed:_ **3  
** _Purpose:_ When damage is dealt or taken, the Focus Gauge will charge. When the Focus Gauge is full, press /\ to unleash a super-powerful attack. Press /\ at the right moments to keep the attack going or make it stronger.

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Scarlet Witch  
** _Strength:_ **14  
** _Magic:_ **12  
** _Ability:_ **Shell  
** _Description:_ A keyblade representing the mistress of the scarlet night. Possesses great strength and magic, and cuts all magical damage taken by 50% when in critical health.

* * *

On the next episode:

Maylin: Ugh, it _still_ hurts seeing the Land of Departure like this...

Haruka: At least it's still standing, Maylin.

Marie: Hey, it's that Strelitzia girl again!

Maylin: W-wait, she followed us again? How does she know where we're going?!

Nick: Book of Prophecies, remember?

Maylin: Oh, yeah, book... see the future, rabble rabble...

Haruka: ...oh, _that_ doesn't look pleasant.

Maylin: What? ...Terra? Wait, Terra, what's happened to you now?! Did the darkness finally consume you?! ...no. No! I _won't_ let that happen!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "A Lost Memory"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	12. A Lost Memory

Maylin clutched the handle of Counterpoint tightly as the Gummi Ship approached the Land of Departure, which was still overshadowed by that strange dark cloud just above it.

"Yep, no doubt about it," Nick stated. "Something is clearly wrong down there."

"But why?" Haruka asked, no doubt the question on everyone's minds. "What exactly is causing that dark cloud to appear?"

"I have no clue, but we really need to get there as fast as we can," Maylin responded. "Who knows what Terra might be doing..."

As the Gummi Ship parked right in front of the Land of Departure, Marie looked up to see two armored figures that were also approaching.

"Wait, _more_ armor dudes?" Marie asked.

Maylin immediately jumped to her feet when she recognized the two figures. "Wait a minute, that's Ven and Aqua! They must be checking in on the world!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Then I guess we'd better zap on down there, huh?" Haruka replied.

"You're damn skippy," Maylin proclaimed, spinning Counterpoint in her hands, ready for action.

Just then, Maylin gasped when she felt Nick's hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry about a thing, okay?" Nick stated, flashing a smile to his companion. "We'll get Terra back. I promise you that."

Maylin smiled back, giving Nick a quick kiss even as Haruka activated the teleporters. "And you never break your promises," Maylin responded.

"Are we all set, everybody?" Haruka asked.

"As we'll ever be, Haruka," Maylin answered. "So let's get down there and see what we can do for my old buddy."

"Roger that!" Haruka proclaimed, hitting the button to activate the teleporters.

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae  
** _Cherami Leigh Kuhn_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** Our heroic group has returned to the Land of Departure to investigate an ominous dark cloud hanging over the world. Maylin hopes to be able to free Terra from the darkness that threatens to consume him and reunite her old friends. Even if they succeed, however, is this merely the prelude to a greater battle to come?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **EDIT 10/5/18:** Added a few scenes in preparation for the revamp of _Key to Her Heart: A Fragmentary Passage_.

* * *

Episode 12: A Lost Memory

Maylin clutched her keyblade as she surveyed the destroyed Land of Departure, no different than the last time she'd seen it. After all this time, it had hurt her to see her beloved home away from home in such ruin.

At the same time, she was trying to think of a way to restore the world to its former glory, as despite its decayed state, it was still standing, which meant the keyhole must not have been locked.

Maylin had always wondered why the world's keyhole had never been locked, despite the Land of Departure resting exactly between the realms of light and darkness.

Regardless, Maylin decided to make that one of her goals while she was here: find the keyhole and seal it so the Land of Departure wouldn't be completely destroyed.

"I kinda thought Ven and Aqua would be here," Nick quipped. "I mean, we _did_ see them coming in for a landing."

"Maybe they're investigating other areas," Haruka replied.

As the group continued their trek, Maylin thought back to a certain event that had taken place right here at the Summit.

" _So, you three want to be Keyblade Masters, huh?" eleven-year-old Maylin asked as she continued to clash with Terra, swinging Spellbinder, her new keyblade, to counter an overhead slash from Terra's keyblade, Earthshaker._

" _Oh, you heard?" Terra quipped, performing a spinning attack to force Maylin to jump back._

" _Terra, it's all you've talked about lately," Ventus laughed, swinging his own keyblade, Wayward Wind, lazily through the morning air. "She was bound to catch on eventually."_

" _I wanted to know more about that," Maylin stated. "I didn't know there was much more to being a keyblade wielder."_

" _Probably because your teacher never told you about it," Aqua replied, using her keyblade, Rainfell, to fire large bubbles into the air so Ventus could snipe them by throwing Wayward Wind like a boomerang. "After all, you just got your keyblade."_

" _Can I become a Keyblade Master, too?" Maylin asked, surprising the others. "I know it'll take a lot of training, but I wanna prove that I can do it, too!"_

 _Terra smiled at Maylin's infectious energy. "Why don't you ask Master Eraqus about it tomorrow?" Terra offered. "I'm sure if he believes you're ready, he'll let you take the Mark of Mastery exam with us."_

" _You'd better train your butt off, too, Terra," Ventus stated._

" _What do you think I've been doing?" Terra laughed._

 _Despite his laughter, Maylin could still see the hurt in Terra's eyes. She had been there for the previous Mark of Mastery exam, before she'd received Spellbinder from the Oracle. How just a little bit of darkness caused Terra to fail in the eyes of Master Eraqus._

 _She often wondered why Eraqus was so strict about destroying the darkness. Maylin knew for a fact that darkness could never be destroyed, same as light. It existed within everyone, light and darkness in equal shares. After all, that's what Himerish had taught her._

 _All anyone would say is that it had something to do with an event in Eraqus' past, but nobody would elaborate._

" _That settles it, then!" Maylin proclaimed, hefting Spellbinder proudly. "One day, I'm going to be a Keyblade Master!"_

Fate played a cruel hand, however, as the day of that Mark of Mastery exam had been when Izanami-no-Mikoto had attacked, spiriting Terra away and plunging the Land of Departure into darkness.

Maylin honestly wished she could just re-summon Spellbinder and remind herself of the good old days.

"Um, excuse me?"

"ACK!" Maylin sputtered, taking a few steps back and raising Counterpoint, only to settle at the sight of Strelitzia leaning against a pillar up on the Summit. "Jeez, Strelitzia, you _really_ need to stop doing that."

"Sorry," Strelitzia giggled. Just like before, she was carrying a new keyblade with her. This keyblade had a long, dark blue handle, with a pommel and guard resembling golden lightning bolts. The base was an etching of a green-eyed leopard, and the shaft was formed from a golden, spiked blade with a wide, darkened middle, itself etched in yellow. The teeth were formed from a web of crystalline spikes, and had another etched icon with a general heart-like shape. The keychain was made of small, electrum crystals, and the token was a spiked electrum talisman embedded with the Master's Gazing Eye.

"What are you doing here of all places, Strelitzia?" Haruka asked. "There's not really much left, as you can probably see."

Strelitzia gazed towards the ruined castle, lazily twirling Leopardus in her hand. "Something about this place just reminds me of better days..." Strelitzia admitted, her mental image of the castle shifting to the one that always popped up in her memory.

"I feel you on that one," Maylin responded.

"Say, Strelitzia? You don't seem as nervous as the last time," Nick noted.

"I guess I'm just getting more comfortable with my role," Strelitzia admitted. "And since I have friends to call my own now, it's honestly not so bad for me anymore."

"Speaking of which, is there anything more you can tell us about your role?" Marie asked.

"Just a little more for now," Strelitzia answered as she walked towards the group. "I'm sure you all know about the Keyblade War that decimated our world, right? Well, my Foreteller was gathering a bunch of keyblade wielders from many different Unions so she could send us away after the world's destruction and ensure that light would survive. I was one of the Dandelions, chosen to survive the Keyblade War and bring light back... but..."

"H-Hey, Strelitzia, what's wrong?" Nick asked when he noticed that Strelitzia was crying. He did the only thing he could think to do, which was to walk over and hug Strelitzia.

"But... Izanami-no-Mikoto hunted us down one by one... she... she killed everyone..." Strelitzia cried. "My Foreteller put me in stasis before she sent me away... god, I miss her so much..."

"Hey, hey, calm down, Strelitzia," Nick replied. "I'm sorry I brought up any unpleasant memories..."

"No, Nick, it's not your fault..." Strelitzia answered. "I'm the one who made myself sad thinking about how I'm the last of the Dandelions, the only one left who can carry out the task I was given. I'm all that remains of the once proud Unions..."

Nick just stood there, holding Strelitzia until she was calm again.

"Again, I'm sorry if I made you sad, Strelitzia. It's a bad habit of mine that I really need to kick in the teeth before I upset the wrong person..." Nick stated.

"It's okay, Nick," Strelitzia replied. "I'm just reminding myself of what's at stake so I can make good on the promise I made to my Foreteller. Ava really was the best..."

"She sounds like she was an absolute sweetheart from how much you gushed about her," Marie giggled.

"Oh, she definitely was," Strelitzia responded, and Nick was happy to see her smiling again. "Everyone loved her, even keyblade wielders from rival unions. It's one of the reasons she was the one picked to form the Dandelions."

Nick wasn't sure if it was his close proximity to Strelitzia, but another memory came to life in his mind, that of a young woman with a pink cloak and a fox mask covering her face.

"Nick? Everything okay, big bro?" Marie asked, having noticed Nick's expression changing.

In response, Strelitzia just giggled. "Are you remembering anything more, Nick?"

"I think... I think I just saw your Foreteller..." Nick stated. "What I _don't_ know is _why_..."

"Most likely my residual memories," Strelitzia proclaimed. She wasn't about to divulge the _real_ reason just yet. "I still think of her every day, after all..."

Strelitzia let go of Nick and re-summoned Leopardus. "So, Nick, can I request another duel from you? You look like you've gotten stronger since the last time."

"Of course, but let's try to make it quick, okay?" Nick replied, summoning Scarlet Witch to his hands. "We're trying to find one of Maylin's friends, after all."

Strelitzia brought Leopardus into a fighting stance, once again different from her Unicornis stance, and rushed for Nick so fast it appeared she'd teleported.

Nick barely had time to get Scarlet Witch up in time to parry the attack, and even then, the strike still pushed him back a few feet.

"Holy _crap,_ I almost didn't see that one!" Maylin exclaimed.

"That must be her gimmick this time, lightning-fast speed," Haruka realized.

Strelitzia leaped through the air even as Nick was pushed back, attacking with a flying overhead slash that Nick went into a roll to avoid.

After picking himself up, Nick lashed out and Strelitzia met him, the two keyblade wielders trading strike after strike for a few seconds before Nick slipped through Strelitzia's guard and knocked her off balance with a Hurricane Period.

Regardless, Strelitzia recovered quickly, swinging horizontally, then vertically, then overhead, then an uppercut, each swing charged with electricity. Nick cast Reflect to block each attack, only to be surprised when Strelitzia hopped backwards, holding Leopardus outwards.

"Now, prepare yourself! _Style Change: Thunderbolt!_ " Strelitzia shouted, her body and keyblade being surrounded by a golden light and sparks of electricity.

Nick attempted to juke around and confuse Strelitzia, but she had already seen through that, dashing in to slash at Nick four times with wide swings before pulling back and then lunging forward with Leopardus, creating a lightning shockwave at the very edge of the lunge, sending Nick tumbling backwards.

"Not bad, Strelitzia, but here's my answer to that! _Style Change: Fever Pitch!"_ Nick shouted, his body and keyblade suddenly enveloped in a bright green aura. Strelitzia charged forward, unleashing a great maelstrom of lightning from her keyblade, but Nick simply dodged around it with his enhanced speed and proceeded to attack Strelitzia with ultra-fast diagonal swings, ending with a combo finisher that spun him forward like a drill to push Strelitzia back.

Strelitzia landed on her feet before leaping high into the air and then coming back down, fittingly, lightning-fast with a super-powerful downward stab that created an electric shockwave at the point of impact.

Despite being thrown back from the blast, Nick simply utilized the super speed that Fever Pitch granted him to right himself quickly and get right back into the fray, attacking Strelitzia with four quick swings before swiping Scarlet Witch straight upwards, causing five beams of light to shoot out in a fan-shaped formation from underneath him and damage Strelitzia.

Strelitzia raised Leopardus before slamming it down, causing a lightning bolt to fire from its teeth. Nick cast a Thunder spell of his own to cancel the blast out, followed by a Thundaga to rain lightning bolts down on Strelitzia.

Naturally, they didn't do much damage thanks to Strelitzia's current Style Change, but the attack had accomplished Nick's intent, as his body now began to shine with a brilliant light, even surprising Strelitzia.

"All right, Strelitzia, here's where I step up to the plate! _Style Change: Ghost Drive!_ " Nick shouted, a bright purple glow surrounding his body and keyblade and overlapping with the green glow of Fever Pitch.

"Oh, _awesome_!" Maylin exclaimed. "He leveled up!"

Nick lashed out with Scarlet Witch, only to instantly vanish, leaving only an afterimage. Strelitzia swung at where she sensed Nick, only to pass right through another afterimage. Nick continued to teleport around Strelitzia, leaving spikes of light around her as he did so until she was surrounded. When this happened, Nick finished the attack by slamming his palm into the ground, and the energy spikes erupted into a shockwave of light that caused Strelitzia to crash to the ground, forcing her out of her Style Change.

"Oh, wow," Strelitzia gasped as Nick helped her up, his own Style Change fading away. "I didn't expect you to use _another_ Style Change during your first one."

"You learn something new every day, right?" Nick stated, casting Curaga on both of them.

"For what it's worth, Nick, you would have made a wonderful Dandelion," Strelitzia admitted. "Your drive to save the worlds, and get back up no matter how many times you fall down... Ava would have loved you."

"I'll just have to take your word for it, then," Nick replied.

"I guess this is where I take my leave," Strelitzia stated. "I sincerely hope that you can find your friends."

Strelitzia leaned over to kiss Nick on the cheek before backing a few steps away and opening her Book of Prophecies.

"May we meet again," Strelitzia proclaimed, chanting a spell from the book and vanishing instantly.

"I'm starting to think there's something she's not telling us," Maylin quipped as the group retreated down the Mountain Path. "I mean, not in a bad way, but... I think she knows something about this evil she says is _worse_ than Izanami-no-Mikoto..."

"She probably _can't_ tell us just yet," Haruka countered. "She _did_ say it was her Foreteller's final order to her, to keep it secret."

"And yet, she's telling us about it, even if it is a little at a time," Marie wondered.

"I think it's because she's starting to realize she can trust us with that kind of info," Nick stated. "I mean, come on, we defeated a mad goddess, right? I think we can handle whatever _this_ freak is!"

"And also consider these memories she keeps talking about," Maylin stated. "This is the third time, right, Nick?"

"I really have no clue why _I'm_ the one receiving these visions," Nick countered. "But like I said, maybe she can't tell us everything because of Ava's final orders. I guess all we can do is play it by ear until we get somewhere..."

By the time the group had reached the Forecourt, they decided to summon their keyblades, as Terra was waiting at the very edge of the destroyed staircase that led up to the castle.

Terra was staring up at the wrecked castle almost longingly, despite the fact that nobody could see his face thanks to his armor, which was still cracked in places from the last fight they'd had.

"Terra?" Maylin asked. "Please tell me you're still in there."

Terra's body began to glow with a powerful dark aura as he slowly turned to face the group.

"Oh, _that_ looks _fun_ ," Nick groaned.

Terra swiftly summoned Chaos Ripper and charged forward, aiming an overhead slash for Maylin, who countered by swinging upwards with Counterpoint.

"Not this time, ol' buddy," Maylin teased before blasting Terra back with a point-blank Thunder spell that pushed him back and caused more cracks to appear in his armor.

Just then, a proverbial lightbulb flickered to life in Maylin's mind. "Guys! I think we need to get that armor off of him to snap him out of it!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Then that means we need to pour it on, and quickly," Nick proclaimed.

"Shall we, Nick?" Haruka asked.

"Let's," Nick replied, and Haruka walked over to put her hand on his shoulder so they could unite into Valor Form, dual-wielding Rumbling Rose and Divewing.

Terra simply leaped through the air, spinning Chaos Ripper around him as a sort of protective barrier, but Valor Form Nick simply jumped up to meet Terra when the keyblade _wasn't_ in his way and slashed six times, three for each keyblade, before finishing with a Spiral Strike that knocked Terra back to the ground, causing a few cracked armor pieces to fall off of his body.

"Yeah, how was that?!" Valor Form Nick shouted.

Terra responded by raising Chaos Ripper and firing off multiple volleys of dark projectiles to keep the group at bay. Maylin simply kept her Reflect shield up, moving closer and closer in hopes of getting a good shot in.

When Maylin was close enough, however, Terra brought Chaos Ripper behind him, dark flower petals surrounding it. Maylin stopped in her tracks, only for Terra to lunge forward with a series of wide, curved slashes that instantly shattered the Reflect barrier and pushing Maylin back with each hit.

After about eight of these strikes, Terra then performed three rapid spinning attacks, one vertical, one horizontal, and one overhead finishing with a shockwave of darkness.

Maylin tried to keep her balance, but collapsed to her knees while balancing on Counterpoint, her damage obvious. "Ouch... I forgot how much Ars Solum hurt..." Maylin quipped.

Valor Form Nick immediately split back into Nick and Haruka, as Nick knew he couldn't use magic in Valor Form. "Haruka, keep him busy! I'll go heal Maylin up!" Nick shouted.

"Roger that," Haruka quipped, rushing in to attack Terra with three heavy swings before ending with a Tremor. To Haruka's shock, however, Terra simply raised Chaos Ripper and caused an earthquake under himself, pillars of rock exploding from the ground around him to damage Haruka and stumble her enough for Terra to leap into the air and come down with a vicious overhead stab.

"Hey, don't leave me out of the fun! _Style Change: Dark Impulse!_ " Marie proclaimed, summoning Darkgnaw and activating her Style Change so she could dash over and block Terra's downward stab, keeping him away from Haruka.

"Here, see how _you_ like it!" Marie shouted, attacking with a wicked flurry of keyblade strikes, mostly quick slashes and overhead spins, ending by thrusting her free hand forward and projecting a larger version of her dark claw to attack Terra. Marie quickly followed this up by surrounding herself with darkness, then diving into it, coming up under Terra and projecting an even larger dark claw straight upwards, dragging Terra into the air with it.

Sure enough, more pieces of Terra's armor began to fall off as the assault continued.

"Awesome, we've got him on the ropes!" Marie exclaimed, only to squeak in surprise when Terra attacked her with the exact same combination she'd just used, dark hand and everything. "Hey, stop ganking my moves!"

As Marie continued to dodge the attacks Terra was sending her way, Nick raised his keyblade and cast Curaga on Maylin, healing her to full strength and allowing her to stand again.

"I think we need to step it up, Nick," Maylin proclaimed.

Nick would have answered if he didn't feel a flare of dark energy coming from nearby. Spinning around on his heel, Nick saw Terra clutching the sides of his helmet, as if he was in pain, only for a strange dark being to burst into existence from behind him.

This being had an ink-black, muscular humanoid form with a partially bandaged head, sharp yellow eyes gleaming above a mouth filled with sharp teeth, and well as two long antennae spouting from the top of its head. A heart-shaped hole could be seen in between more bandages on its torso, much like what many Pureblood Heartless had. It also had very large hands, and its torso eventually shrunk into a tail-like point that faded away into Terra's back, where it was sprouting from.

Now Maylin was concerned, and she had good reason to be, as that Guardian that Terra had just summoned was the exact same one that Kusumi-no-Okami had used against them before she'd reunited with her vessels.

"Oh, _hell_ no," Nick growled, also recognizing the Guardian and dashing in to attack, only to have to dodge to the left to avoid a pair of vertical shockwaves fired by the Guardian.

Nick immediately went into an Ars Arcanum, the blade of Oathkeeper glowing a bright orange as he tried to do as much damage as he possibly could. Once he was finished, Nick quickly jumped back to avoid a rain of dark orbs from the Guardian.

"All right, this is getting stupid!" Nick shouted, raising Oathkeeper to the sky and then dashing like lightning towards Terra, knocking him all around the field with Sonic Blade.

Before he could land the finishing blow, however, Terra leaped into the air and then came down with a double-fisted overhead slam, the Guardian doing the same and unleashing a massive shockwave of darkness that forced the group to keep their distance.

Nick solved this by hanging back and attacking with Strike Raid, throwing his keyblade at Terra while his Guardian was still stuck in the ground from the shockwave attack.

Maylin continued the attack, hopping off of Nick's shoulders to shoot a Firaga ball straight into Terra's face, causing him to reel.

"He's mine, Nick!" Maylin shouted, the blade of Counterpoint shining with a bright glow.

Terra quickly recovered and attempted to behead Maylin, but the young mage was quicker on the draw, slicing horizontally with her glowing keyblade and striking the center mass of Chaos Ripper, eventually breaking through and utterly destroying the demonic keyblade.

Maylin then made one more slash, cutting across Terra's right side. The two combatants were still for a few seconds as Counterpoint's glow faded.

Terra's armor couldn't handle the force of that blow, the rest of the armor pieces falling off and causing the Guardian to evaporate on the spot, a dark wisp extracting itself from Terra's body. Nick made sure to jump after and swing Oathkeeper to dispel that wisp just to be sure.

With that, Nick was finally able to get a good look at Terra, the last member of what Maylin always called her "personal power trio". He was a rather tall man, obviously the oldest of the three prospective Masters, with dark blue eyes, and brown hair that reached to the base of his neck, styled into several messy, vertical spikes and bangs that framed his face.

As Terra picked himself up, another keyblade flashed into his hands, one that resembled an upgraded version of Cornelia's keyblade, Earthshaker, featuring a longer and more extravagant blade with teeth on both sides at the tip of the blade, and the hand guard also elongating to form a wing-like shape.

"Ugh... my head..." Terra groaned. "What the heck happened to me?"

"TERRA!" Maylin exclaimed, leaping over to hug Terra and causing him to gasp in surprise.

"Whoa, Maylin, is that you?" Terra asked. "Wow, you've really grown since the last time I saw you... how long has it been? I'm still confused..."

"Try _three years_ , Terra!" Maylin proclaimed. "Ven and Aqua have been worried _sick_ about you, to say nothing of _me_!"

"What have I been doing?" Terra wondered, now genuinely concerned.

"You've been a puppet for Izanami-no-Mikoto," Nick explained. "She's the one that attacked you guys and did... well, _this_ to the Land of Departure."

"Wait, the divine ruler did this?!" Terra gasped. "But why did she take me?"

"Something about your darkness must have intrigued her, possibly as another vessel should something go wrong," Haruka stated. "Thankfully, that's not going to be a problem anymore."

"Hold on, Izanami-no-Mikoto is dead?!" Terra shouted. "Who took her out?"

Maylin's smile widened, and Terra quickly put the pieces together.

"Maylin... did you and your friends defeat her?" Terra asked. "I thought it would have been impossible once her vessels were reunited!"

"One of those vessels was fighting back," Marie stated, discreetly switching her keyblade back to Rainfell. "That gave us the chance to finish her off for good."

Terra was slightly surprised to see Marie wielding Aqua's old keyblade, but not by much. After all, she had let that old one go when she'd received Stormfall for the first time, and he had no idea what happened to old keyblades when they were let go.

"That's good to hear," Terra responded. "Maybe now we might be able to fix this world."

"How do you suppose we do that, though?" Haruka wondered.

"Simple! We find the keyhole!" Maylin proclaimed. "We find the keyhole, and we can fix what happened here!"

"Are you sure that'll work?" Terra asked.

"We have to _find_ the keyhole first, Maylin," Marie quipped.

"Oh, right... crap..."

"I think it came from up here!"

Terra instantly perked up at the sound of Ventus' voice. Sure enough, the entire group spun around just in time to see Ventus and Aqua, both carrying their keyblades, racing up the stairs to the Forecourt.

"Whoa, you guys, where's the fire?" Maylin teased.

"We heard a bunch of loud noises, and we thought someone was fighting," Aqua replied. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, we just had to clean some house," Maylin giggled, hefting Counterpoint proudly. "We're just that good!"

Nick, Haruka, and Marie simply sweatdropped at that, causing Maylin to sputter slightly. "Oh, come on, guys, just let me have my moment!"

"That... was from Stargirl Shannon, wasn't it?" Marie quipped.

"How did _you_ know that?" Maylin quipped.

"Um, hello? My favorite show _ever in existence_?" Marie shot back.

"Oh, sure, just forget I'm even here," Terra teased, causing Ventus and Aqua to immediately snap to attention.

"T-Terra?!" Ventus gasped. "Is... is that really you?!"

"Well, who else would I be?" Terra laughed.

"Did you all free him?" Aqua asked.

"Yup!" Maylin giggled. "Terra put up a hell of a fight, though, _both_ times we fought him. With all the crazy crap he pulled on us, you'd think he was a Keyblade Master, too!"

Terra's good mood suddenly dropped when he realized the implications of his possession. Maylin must have noticed, because she walked up to Terra and lightly slapped his arm.

"Hey, hey, don't worry about it," Maylin stated.

"But..."

"No buts!" Maylin proclaimed. "Terra, I know you worry about your darkness, but please hear me out. Your darkness is a part of you, just like your light. Everyone has darkness within them, good or evil or god knows what else. It's all in how you _use_ the power you're given. I mean, look at Marie. She wields dark powers, but all she's ever used them for is kicking Heartless face!"

"Yeah, I'm a firm believer of the whole 'power isn't bad if you do good things with it' mantra," Marie stated.

"And hey, if you want to try your hand at the Mark of Mastery exam again, you could always ask good ol' Himerish," Maylin stated.

"Your Oracle?" Aqua asked. "Is he a Keyblade Master, too?"

"One of the best out there!" Maylin replied. "And Himerish is definitely more forgiving of the whole darkness thing, since he believes light and darkness should be balanced. That's where Haruka and I got our beliefs from."

It was then that Ventus noticed something different about Maylin, despite the fact that she'd definitely grown up since the last time they'd all been a circle of friends. "Hey, Maylin, why aren't you using Spellbinder?" Ventus asked.

"Well, um..." Maylin stuttered.

"Because I destroyed it," Marie admitted. "The bad guys had me basically brainwashed to do their bidding for a while, and they made me attack them and destroy their old keyblades. That's why they've got new ones."

"Hmmm..." Aqua stated, summoning Brightcrest to her hands. "Stand back, everyone."

Aqua proceeded to wave Brightcrest around in seemingly random directions, the teeth of the weapon trailing aquatic blue light as she did so. The way she was doing it reminded Maylin of watching Yuna performing a sending ritual that one time.

After a few more seconds of this, Aqua snapped Brightcrest down, creating a bright flash in the air. When it cleared, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka found a new keychain token in their hands.

When they all attached them and their keyblades transformed, they were all shocked to see that they were wielding the keyblades they thought had been destroyed for good; Spellbinder for Maylin, Divine Rose for Haruka, and the Kingdom Key for Nick, though his keyblade's colors were inverted, much like the second keyblade that Lily wielded.

"A-Aqua... did you... did you recreate our old keyblades?" Maylin gasped.

"I figured, if I just had to recreate the tokens for them, it wouldn't be too much of a problem for me to do it," Aqua stated. "Consider this a present for helping us all get back together."

"Ooh, you guys are the best!" Maylin proclaimed, throwing herself into Aqua's arms.

But as the entire group chatted away, mostly due to needing to catch up on current events, they had no idea they were being watched from afar by the Mysterious Figure, now sporting a different cloak and hood, one that was mostly brown with jewels hanging from the skirt.

"Hmmm... this could be a problem," the Mysterious Figure stated. "Those three won't really be any trouble in the grand scheme, but... it's that brat with his daughter's keyblade that could be the real threat. I need to think of something to break him, something that'll convince him it's pointless to fight what I'm going to do..."

* * *

Maylin waved from afar to Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, who had donned their Keyblade Armor and were ready to spread out across the Lanes Between, saying that they still had one more person to find, most likely their master, Eraqus.

"Ah, it's good to see that we're finally back together again," Maylin sighed happily.

"True friends are always a treasure, right?" Haruka proclaimed. "Someone you know will have your back, no matter what."

Nick and Marie smiled at each other, knowing full well what Haruka was talking about.

"Okay, so, I don't mean to break up the tender moment, but... where do we go from here?" Marie asked.

Haruka was about to consider possible travel options when she noticed something on the Gummi Ship's radar. Taking a closer look, she noticed that a world had appeared right behind the Blue Sky Kingdom and just to the left of Candracar.

"Hey, a new world just randomly appeared," Haruka stated.

When Nick got a good look at the world in question, he did a double-take so fast that _Maylin_ almost got whiplash from how fast he reacted.

"W-wait just a minute, that's Heatherfield!" Nick exclaimed. "Why did it show up just now after all the traveling we've done?"

"Not sure, but I think that's a sign that we should go check in," Maylin answered. "We have no idea what's been happening since it disappeared."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Haruka proclaimed. "Shall we go full speed for home?"

Everyone just gave Haruka a look that said "do you really need to ask?".

"That's what I thought," Haruka giggled. "Right, then, off we go!"

As the Gummi Ship coasted through the Lanes Between back to Heatherfield, Nick couldn't help but wonder what that weird feeling was.

Just... something telling him that things were going to get very real very quickly.

Nick was tempted to just brush it off as jitters, but his previous feelings hadn't been wrong.

He couldn't quite place it...

...but he just knew something big was about to happen.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Spellbinder  
** _Strength:_ **7  
** _Magic:_ **14  
** _Ability:_ **Lightning Boost  
** _Description:_ A keyblade representing a great mage who longs to expand her magical prowess. Boasts great magical strength, increasing maximum MP by 20 and increasing damage done by lightning-based attacks and spells by 20%.

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Divine Rose  
** _Strength:_ **14  
** _Magic:_ **5  
** _Ability:_ **MP Rage  
** _Description:_ A keyblade representing a girl who just wants the freedom to be herself. A weapon of superb strength, increasing critical hit chance by 40% and restoring MP relative to damage taken.

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Kingdom Key Inversion  
** _Strength:_ **8  
** _Magic:_ **8  
** _Ability:_ **Damage Control  
** _Description:_ A keyblade representing a chosen wielder who just wants to help people. A very balanced weapon that halves physical damage taken when health is at 30% or below.

* * *

On the next episode:

Maylin: Well, things are shaping up for something _huge_ next episode!

Haruka: First, we're going back to Heatherfield to check in on everyone and make sure everything's on the up and up, and then we're off to the Blue Sky Kingdom to find some information on the Organization and this mystery girl who keeps attacking us.

Marie: Lots of crazy shenanigans are happening on the next episode, and we're not gonna spoil _any_ of it, so you'll just have to tune in to find out what happens! We hope you're ready for it!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "Darkness Approaches"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	13. Darkness Approaches

The one question still on Nick's mind even as the Gummi Ship approached Heatherfield remained about what exactly was happening with the Mysterious Figure.

Strelitzia had mentioned that she was trying to prevent a bad future from coming to pass with the knowledge her Book of Prophecies gave her.

And that's where Nick was most concerned: the future.

After all, Lily had come back from the future, as had Organization XIII, no doubt searching for something only attainable in the past. Lily intended to avenge her parents by wiping out the Organization, which was still searching for other ways to attain the power of Kingdom Hearts and regain their human forms.

And yet...

The Mysterious Figure had also mentioned something about the future and preventing a tragedy, even if she had to erase everything and start anew to do so.

With so many forces jumping backwards through time for one reason or another, Nick wasn't sure who was going to end up in the proverbial winner's circle once it was all over.

But despite everything, Nick still couldn't shake the odd feeling he'd been having since they'd all left the Scarlet Devil Mansion to chase after Terra.

Something terrible was about to happen.

He just couldn't place what exactly it was.

"Heatherfield, dead ahead!" Haruka exclaimed. "Let's go see what the ol' gang's up to, shall we?"

"Yeah, W.I.T.C.H. might be back there now that it's available," Maylin quipped. "I'm sure they'll have some stories to tell."

"Here's hoping," Marie stated. "I've got a _serious_ case of homesickness, considering I've... well, considering I've been _mostly dead_ for about a year and a half."

Nick and Marie reached out to hold hands as the Gummi Ship began its descent, wondering what their parents would think about their disappearance, if they knew at all.

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** With Heatherfield finally accessible again, the group decides to check in and see how things are going, and hopefully find Heatherfield's keyhole before the Heartless can. After this, a return trip to the Blue Sky Kingdom is in order. The Happiness Charge Pretty Cures intend to use a powerful magical supercomputer within the castle to find information on the Organization, not knowing that a strange world exists within the supercomputer's datascape. But when the Mysterious Figure arrives to cause chaos, it will throw the Blue Sky Kingdom into a battle unlike any their world has ever seen...

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **For Today's World:** Okay, now we're returning to the Blue Sky Kingdom, the home of two of the heroines of _Happiness Charge Pretty Cure_ , along with a world that I don't want to spoil the identity of. And, just like the Blue Sky Kingdom chapter of the first story, if you know your Kingdom Hearts, this is where things are going to get insane. I'm not gonna waste anymore time, so let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 **Author's Note:** To the couple reviewers who keep asking where Sora and his gang are because the story's basically part Kingdom Hearts, all I have to say is I'M GETTING TO THAT! I _do_ have a plan for how Sora is gonna be integrated, but I obviously can't reveal that _yet_ because it's a big spoiler for later parts of the story. So please respect the rule of spoiler and let's get this chapter underway, 'kay?

 **EDIT 9/26/18:** Fixed a few errors and a bit of continuity for the "computer world" that I didn't notice initially. Thanks again to Lonnie Lonster / AlexisRhodes74 for pointing them out!

* * *

Episode 13: Darkness Approaches

Nick couldn't help but marvel at the sights of Heatherfield, covered in a light layer of snow but otherwise no different than when he'd left to go on this new adventure.

"That's definitely a good sign, at the very least," Haruka stated.

Just then, Nick realized something that felt like a kick in the face for not realizing it sooner. "Girls? We never sealed Heatherfield's keyhole, did we?" Nick proclaimed.

"Oh, _crapbaskets_ , you're right!" Maylin exclaimed. "We'd better get on that right stat _now_!"

"But where do we start?" Marie asked. "I'm sure there's a lot of places where the keyhole could be hiding."

"How about we start at Sheffield Institute?" Nick replied. "It's as good a place as any."

With that, the group set off for Sheffield Institute, occasionally pausing to traverse more slowly lest they slip on the many, _many_ patches of ice that coated the roads and sidewalks.

"Ugh, have I mentioned how I _hate_ ice physics?!" Maylin shouted.

"You're acting like this is a game or something," Marie giggled. "Can't you just bust out a Fire spell or something and melt the ice if it bothers you so much?"

"You know, I never thought of that," Maylin cackled.

"Hey, if it isn't the walking fashion disaster!"

Nick just sighed in frustration as he looked up to see who else but local school bully Uriah standing at the gates to Sheffield Institute, looking smug as usual.

"Um, in case you're wondering, buddy, my fashion sense is ten times better than yours will ever be," Maylin taunted.

"What are _you_ chumps doing at school today?" Uriah laughed. "After all, it's a snow day, and I can't imagine you _want_ to be at school on a snow day."

"I could ask the same thing to you, Uriah," Nick shot back. "What's _your_ beef?"

"Well, if you _must_ know," Uriah stated, emphasizing his words to make him sound more important, "me and some of my own comrades are checking out a strange rumor we've heard lately, about paranormal activity at the school."

"Wait, _really_?" Haruka quipped. "You really believe in that silly stuff?"

"Honestly, it's probably just some sad sack story to spook the spooks, but I figured it'd be fun!" Uriah cackled. "Besides, they also say there's a bunch of black monsters running around there, but it's probably just some nuts in costumes."

Nick was already tensing up at the mention of "black monsters", no doubt the Heartless going after the keyhole again.

 _Not this time,_ Nick thought.

"Whoa, whoa, were you going to check it out, Kelly?" Uriah stated. "I didn't take you to be one for spooky stuff."

Maylin's hand began to twitch, making it appear that she was angry. This quickly caught Uriah's attention.

"Oh, what, girlie, are you _scared_?" Uriah laughed. "It's perfectly okay if you're a chicken, you know. I won't laugh. Well, maybe I will."

Maylin's twitchy hand quickly raised itself, and Spellbinder flashed into her hand, making Uriah back up in surprise.

"Whoa, whoa, I was actually kidding about the chicken thing..."

Before Haruka could talk her down, Maylin fired a Thunder spell from Spellbinder that streaked through the air and blasted not Uriah, but the Neoshadow that was jumping towards him.

Uriah spun around, only to fall flat on his backside when he saw at least five Neoshadows approaching him with menacing intent.

"H-Holy crap, those black monsters are _actually_ real?!" Uriah screamed, scrambling backwards to get as far away from the Neoshadows as possible.

"You might want to beat it, Uriah!" Nick proclaimed, summoning the Kingdom Key to his hands. "We can take it from here."

Uriah didn't need to be told twice, and ran away from the scene as quickly as possible while the group summoned their keyblades for battle.

Marie raised Rainfell to cast Waterga, surrounding herself with a circle of large bubbles, then swinging Rainfell to send them flying outwards from her, shredding through any Neoshadows that got close.

"All right, which one of you wants a taste of my awesomeness?" Maylin challenged as one of the Neoshadows dove into the ground via a pool of darkness and tried to attack her from below.

Maylin simply dodged backwards, then struck the Neoshadow with three spinning slashes before blasting it away with a Magic Hour.

"Ah, it's good to have you back, my old friend," Maylin giggled, comically cuddling Spellbinder.

"Hey, Maylin, can you maybe cuddle your keyblade later? We've got business to take care of here!" Haruka shouted, leaping into the middle of a group of Neoshadows and slamming Divine Rose into the ground, creating a massive upheaval of concrete spikes around her that tore the Neoshadows to pieces.

Nick reached out to grab the last Neoshadow by its collar as it attempted to weave around him, then tossed it towards Maylin, who ended it with a single upward slash from Spellbinder.

"And that's what you get," Nick proclaimed.

"Remember when those things used to give us so much hell, Haruka?" Maylin giggled.

"Yeah, with their random portal-jumping and trying to grab our legs from below," Haruka laughed. "That was _annoying_."

"Yeah, but they're absolute _pansies_ now that we're so much stronger!" Maylin proclaimed.

"I really feel like I missed quite a few chapters here," Marie sighed. "You guys have done so much while I've been gone..."

"We'll tell you all about it once we're done here," Haruka stated.

Another set of footsteps from nearby caught the group's attention, but Nick and Marie were the first to recognize the figures that were staring wide-eyed at them from just across the nearby street.

A woman with curly brown hair and similar brown eyes.

A man with short brown hair and similar eyes.

"N-Nick? Marie? Is... is that you?" the woman asked.

Nick and Marie had been prepared for this moment, after all. They had no idea how much time had passed since the beginning of this adventure and now.

Marie decided to ease the tension by answering first.

"Yeah, mom, dad. It's us."

Maylin and Haruka wisely decided to let the family have their moment as Rhea and Jeff Kelly quickly crossed the streets to hug their children like they thought they'd disappeared forever.

"Oh, god, I'm so happy to see you both again!" Rhea exclaimed.

"Where have you _been_ for the past six months?" Jeff wondered.

"Six months?!" Nick exclaimed. "It's been that long?!"

"After the school year started, you and Marie just... vanished," Rhea explained. "You never came home after school that day... we were so worried..."

"You weren't kidnapped, were you?" Jeff asked, clearly panicked about the possibility.

Nick and Marie glanced at each other, unsure of how to explain this to their parents.

But just as Nick was about to kick off the story, he looked up and saw something behind them.

It was a gargantuan Nobody clad in a white bodysuit, if the zipper lining its front was any indication. Its rounded head had the Nobody symbol where its face should have been, it had short but thick legs with spikes on its hips and long, pointed feet. Its shoulders each sported a gigantic, diamond-shaped spike and its arms were very long, and it also had four long, blue tentacles sprouting from its back with tips resembling the spikes on the Nobody sigil that wrapped around its neck.

And it was raising its fist towards Rhea with them none the wiser.

"Oh, honey, we waited so long for _any_ news about your whereabouts... god, it's the worst nightmare a parent can suffer..." Rhea cried. "But... I'm just... I'm just so happy that you're both..."

"LOOK OUT!" Nick shouted, summoning the Oathkeeper and pushing his way between Rhea and Jeff so he could raise his keyblade and stop the Twilight Thorn's punch attack just in time.

"W-What the hell?!" Rhea shouted.

"Mom, dad, you two need to get somewhere safe while we hold this thing off!" Nick shouted.

"Look at that thing!" Jeff exclaimed. "I don't think _any of us_ could stop it!"

"Back off, zipper boy!" Maylin shouted, leapfrogging off of Nick's shoulders to fire a Thunder spell into the Twilight Thorn's face and send it reeling back.

"Trust us, okay? We've got this," Marie proclaimed, summoning Rainfell.

Despite the shocked expressions they now had, Rhea and Jeff quickly realized that Nick and Marie were right, and retreated into the front lobby of Sheffield Institute.

The Twilight Thorn stared down the four keyblade wielders, rearing its other fist back for a punch that Nick quickly blocked by casting Reflect, then shattering the barrier to send the damage back, temporarily disabling the Twilight Thorn's right hand.

Marie went in to attack the other arm, only to have to dodge back and forth between bursts of curved lightning that the Twilight Thorn was shooting from its head.

"Hey, not nice, mister thing!" Marie shouted, raising Rainfell to fire a Watera spell at the left arm, temporarily disabling that one as well.

With both arms disabled, the Twilight Thorn dipped down to attack with a powerful headbutt, but missed completely and got its head stuck in the ground.

"All right, there's our opportunity!" Nick shouted, charging in and unleashing Ars Arcanum on the Twilight Thorn's head.

Before Nick could deal the finishing blow, however, his body was suddenly enveloped in chains of twilight energy and lifted high into the air. The Twilight Thorn picked itself up and stared directly at Nick with its vapid, non-existent gaze. The Twilight Thorn reared its right fist back to assault Nick, but Nick was able to regain some of his footing and slash at the giant Nobody's head, sending it stumbling back down the street.

This didn't stop it, however, and the Twilight Thorn just came right back, its arms extending out to grab Nick and toss him into the air. As Nick began to fall back down, the Twilight Thorn brought its hands back, attempting to spike Nick into the ground, but Nick finally managed to break free of his chains and proceeded to step vault off of the Twilight Thorn's hands, coming down with a flying slash to its face that drove it to the ground.

"I think we need to destroy this thing before anyone notices it," Nick quipped. " _That's_ a scene I _don't_ want to explain."

"Well, then let's go full-bore loony on it before it gets up!" Maylin proclaimed.

The four keyblade wielders held out their weapons, their bodies beginning to glow brightly.

 **("Harmony" by Timbaland feat. Dalton Diehl plays)**

" _Style Change: Spellweaver!"_ Maylin proclaimed, her body and Stormfall glowing a radiant blue and floating slightly off the ground, her eyes twinkling and Stormfall telekinetically floating by her right hand.

" _Style Change: Wingblade!"_ Haruka shouted, her body and Divewing glowing a brilliant pink and floating slightly off the ground, and six pink energy swords floating behind her and invoking angel wings.

" _Style Change: Fever Pitch!"_ Nick shouted, his body and Oathkeeper glowing a bright emerald and vibrating slightly to invoke incredible speed. Bright green wings were also sprouting from his shoes.

" _Style Change: Dark Impulse!"_ Marie shouted, her body and Darkgnaw glowing with darkness and her free hand transformed into a wicked-looking dark claw.

"LET'S BEAT HIS ASS!" the group shouted together, and they all charged for the Twilight Thorn's incapacitated head at once, attacking with all the strength and speed they could in hopes of ending the battle quickly.

Even as the Twilight Thorn tried to pick itself up, the four heroes all unleashed their finishing moves at once, causing massive damage to the Twilight Thorn.

Still, the monster stubbornly refused to die, leaping into the air and coming down with such force that it unleashed a shockwave that threw all four keyblade wielders back into a snowdrift and forced them out of their Style Changes.

"Okay, _that_ was dirty," Maylin groaned.

The Twilight Thorn's head began to twitch, and it fired off five wicked thunderbolts of twilight from its head.

Rhea and Jeff stood there, trying to think of something they could possibly do, until they felt two figures rushing by them so fast, they only felt the wind.

Nick tried to raise Oathkeeper to cast a Reflect spell, but the thunderbolts were coming too fast for him in his damaged state.

Just as the bolts were about to strike, Lily jumped in front of Nick and raised both Kingdom Key and Light Seeker, this action creating a large barrier of light that dispelled the lightning. Before the Twilight Thorn could attack again, Cornelia leaped forward and slammed Earthshaker into the ground, doing its namesake and causing a mini-quake under the Twilight Thorn that made it collapse to its knees.

"L-Lily? Cornelia?" Nick asked.

"Oh, yeah, now you're asking for it!" Lily shouted, dashing forward just as the Twilight Thorn leaned down to sweep its arms around like a whirlpool. Lily simply leaped over the hands and then bounced off of them to slash both of her keyblades into the Twilight Thorn's face. The beast stumbled back, then roared in obvious anger.

"Oh, what? You want _another_ taste of what I did to you last time?!" Lily shouted, jumping over another arm sweep and furiously slashing across the Twilight Thorn's chest, causing the zipper to unzip itself and reveal a little bulb in the center of its chest.

Cornelia wasn't one to be left out, swinging Earthshaker upwards and causing a large spiked pillar of rock to erupt from the ground right under the Twilight Thorn, striking in a rather... personal place.

This gave Lily the chance she needed. Just like she had in her Dive to the Heart, Lily performed an X-strike on the bulb, causing it to explode in a shower of silver sparkles. The Twilight Thorn roared in agony before falling back and collapsing into a writhing mess before its body evaporated into nothingness.

"Looks like round two didn't go any better for you than last time, did it, freak?" Lily laughed before letting her keyblades disappear and walking back to help Nick and the girls out of the snowdrift. "You doing okay, papa?"

"Yeah, just got hit by a sneak attack before you came to save us," Nick replied. "Thanks for dragging our butts out of the fire, you two."

"Any time, papa!" Lily giggled.

"You honestly think I'd leave my boyfriend in the dust?" Cornelia giggled, leaning over to kiss Nick on the cheek.

"Oh, so _you're_ Lily, huh?" Maylin stated. "Nick's told us a lot about you."

"Well, I've got quite a story to tell, after all," Lily stated.

"Lily, how did you get here, anyway?" Haruka wondered.

"To be honest, I have no freaking clue," Lily admitted. "I was looking through one of the worlds and I found myself in this weird kaleidoscope tunnel thing. When I got out of there, I found myself in Heatherfield. I got to watch mama figure-skating for a bit, and then I... kinda fell on my butt."

"If this was before we became the Guardians of the Veil, I might not have believed that my own daughter time-traveled back from the future," Cornelia replied.

"Wait, wait, I'm the only one here who doesn't know Lily," Marie quipped, not noticing Lily's shocked face. "Can someone fill me in?"

"Auntie Marie?!" Lily shouted, leaping forward to hug Marie, only to send them both crashing back into the snowdrift. "Oh, my stars, you're alive!"

"Um... y-yes, I'm alive?" Marie replied, not sure what was going on. "Wait, did you just call me 'auntie'? I'm only fourteen!"

"I guess I have quite a bit to explain, don't I?" Nick sighed.

"I think we'd _all_ like to know," Rhea asked as she and Jeff approached them.

"Well, I'll explain on the way, but let's get inside the school first. Finding the keyhole is top priority right now," Nick stated.

And so, after Nick used his keyblade to open the doors of the school, he began to explain the story to Rhea and Jeff, the story of how Heatherfield had been attacked by the Heartless and swallowed by darkness, forcing Nick to go on a grand adventure in order to find a way to bring it back.

The entire group had to pitch in a lot in order to explain other aspects of the adventure, like how Nick's friends (and his girlfriend) were Guardians of the Veil, the existence of Candracar, and many other events that had taken place over the course of their adventures.

Rhea was shocked to learn that Nick had been forced to kill Marie in order to destroy Izanami-no-Mikoto, but Marie had placated her with the fact that she'd asked Nick to do it, being willing to sacrifice her own existence to save the world she'd grown to love.

"So, if Nick had to destroy you, how are you here with us right now, Marie?" Jeff wondered as Lily hopped off of a nearby wall to attack a random Hook Bat.

"The only thing I can guess is that a small part of my heart survived and stayed with Nick after the battle was over," Marie replied. "And recently, when Nick got his butt whipped by his shadow self..."

"Please don't remind me of that," Nick groaned.

"It must have released my heart," Marie finished. "Nick's heart was protecting my own until I was strong enough to come back."

"I couldn't believe it, honestly," Nick admitted, reaching out to hug Marie. "But I didn't really care as long as I had my sister back."

"And... Lily is your daughter?" Rhea wondered.

"From about sixteen years in the future, but yeah!" Lily stated.

"This is all so confusing," Rhea sighed.

"Don't I know it," Nick replied. "And I just have this feeling that it's gonna get even crazier soon."

"All right, one last question," Jeff asked. "What exactly are we doing in the school on an off day?"

"We're looking for the keyhole of this world," Maylin answered. She had decided to keep the fact that she was also Nick's girlfriend a secret, as she wasn't sure what Rhea and Jeff would think of that. "That's how the Heartless consumed this world last time. We never got the chance to lock it before, since this world wasn't restored until we destroyed Izanami-no-Mikoto. And now that we can actually get back here again, we figured we'd make that our top priority before we move on again."

"Hold on, you have to leave again?" Rhea gasped.

"Sadly, a hero's work is never done," Haruka stated. "Such is the life of a keyblade wielder."

"And, for some odd reason, time flows really strangely in the Lanes Between," Maylin continued. "Sometimes, we spent at least two weeks in other worlds, but when we came back to another one, not even a day had passed there. I guess the six-month gap here must have been because of _whatever_ caused Heatherfield to disappear when we left on our second journey."

"Honestly, I'm still convinced that the Organization _or_ that Mysterious Figure might have had something to do with that," Nick replied.

"They're the whole reason I jumped back in time after what happened!" Lily exclaimed.

Maylin began to lead the group up the stairway to Sheffield Institute's clock tower, where its giant bell rested.

And, just as Maylin had predicted, a glowing keyhole formed on the bell, no doubt reacting to their presence.

"I'm... going to guess _that's_ the keyhole?" Jeff asked.

"Pretty much," Nick quipped, summoning the Kingdom Key and raising it towards the keyhole, firing a beam of light into it and sealing it off with a loud click. "There. Now this world is safe."

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, what is _in_ these keyholes that the Heartless take to destroy a world?" Rhea wondered as they left Sheffield Institute.

"The keyhole leads to a world's heart," Nick answered. "The Heartless go into the keyhole and take the heart of a world, and then it's consumed by darkness. But, if someone with a keyblade uses it to lock the keyhole, then the world's safe. The Heartless can't get to it anymore."

"This all sounds extremely complicated," Jeff stated.

"Honestly, it kinda is when you can't fit the pieces together," Haruka admitted. "And I don't think it ever gets any easier to explain."

Lily gasped in surprise when she noticed that her necklace was glowing brightly all of a sudden. "Um, what?" Lily asked, still slightly confused.

Energy began to gather around Kingdom Key's teeth, before eventually absorbing into the ground below Nick and creating the shape of a crown under his feet. As wind began to swirl around Nick's body as he channeled his power, the glow surrounding Lily's necklace created a wave of light that eventually formed into a large keyhole in the sky.

Nick jumped back, spinning Kingdom Key a few times before aiming and firing a beam of light from the keyblade into the keyhole. Reality seemed to shatter in a large circle around the keyhole, lines of light flowing into it before creating a bright flare that caused the keyhole to disappear.

"Wait, what just happened?" Rhea asked.

"A new road is open," Nick answered. "And our friends are waiting somewhere along that road."

"And on that note, I think I need to get going, too," Lily stated.

"Why, though? We just found you again after god only knows how long!" Maylin countered.

"Duh, you guys! I still have to find the Organization!" Lily exclaimed. "Like I said, they're the whole reason I'm even here, and I'm not gonna stop until they're all fish food for what they did to my parents _and_ my awesome little brother who never got the chance to live!"

"Wait, Lily, you had a brother?" Nick asked. "You never mentioned him."

"Because... mama was pregnant with Blake when the Organization killed her and papa," Lily explained. "When I fell into my Dive to the Heart, I met Blake's heart, but it was fractured, so I shared my light with him and fixed his heart."

Nick suddenly had a realization about something. "Lily, I think that's why you can wield two keyblades!"

"R-really, papa?" Lily gasped. "Because of Blake?"

"Because you're sharing your heart with his, just like I shared mine with Marie," Nick answered. "That's why you can wield two keyblades, because one of those keyblades is technically Blake's keyblade."

"Oh, wow, now it makes so much sense!" Lily laughed. "Blake gave me the power to avenge my parents!"

"Still, Lily, why don't you stay with me for a while?" Cornelia asked. "You'd be much safer if the Organization decides to attack, because we have six keyblade wielders and the rest of W.I.T.C.H. on speed dial."

"...you know what? Yeah, I think I'll do that," Lily proclaimed. "This way, we can finally send the Organization packing! And this way, I get to spend more time with my family!"

"Nick, please be honest with us. Are you sure you're going to be all right?" Rhea asked. "Because this all sounds like too much for you to handle."

"Truthfully, mom, if it _was_ too much for me to handle, I wouldn't have made it this far," Nick answered. "And, just in case I _do_ jump too far into the frying pan, I've got two of my best friends and my awesome sister to pull me out of the fire."

"That's _definitely_ the truth!" Maylin proclaimed.

Rhea and Jeff glanced at each other, and then smiled at their children. "All right, then. Just... please be careful out there," Jeff stated. "The Organization sounds like quite the handful."

"Oh, we'll stomp 'em flat eventually!" Maylin stated quite proudly.

As the group continued to trade conversation back and forth, Nick glanced behind him, noticing that two portals were open right next to each other a few feet away.

After a few seconds, a teenage boy with "spiky anime hair", as he had often called such hairstyles, ran from one portal to the other, crossing through it instantly.

As if that wasn't strange enough, what appeared to be a duck in a sailor uniform carrying a wand and an upright-walking, humanoid dog carrying a shield followed the spiky-haired boy through the portals.

 _Oooooookay..._ Nick thought. _I've seen enough weirdness on this adventure, but... wait, wait, waitwaitwait, isn't that the kid that Flandre drew? The one she said she saw in the basement?_

If that _was_ the same boy from Flandre's drawing, then Nick realized that the game had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.

* * *

"Okay, so Heatherfield is safe," Maylin quipped once they'd returned to the Gummi Ship. Cornelia and Lily had decided to stay in Heatherfield, owing to Lily wanting to spend some time with her future mother. "Now where do we go?"

"Yeah, I don't see any trails that we could follow to new worlds," Haruka stated, her eyes raking across the radar in search of a trail or connection route to follow. "That's a pickle, I think..."

Suddenly, Marie stiffened up again. Because of her newfound dark powers, Marie was able to sense dark energy from quite the distance.

Marie stood up and gazed out into the Lanes Between, only to see a rather ominous cloud of darkness hanging over the Blue Sky Kingdom.

"Does _that_ warrant concern to anybody?" Marie asked.

"Um, yeah, I think it does," Maylin answered. "We'd better go check it out and see what's going on. I wouldn't want the kingdom to fall _again_. They've already had it hard enough what with all the rebuilding and Heartless attacks."

"Add to that all the other freaks that the Pretty Cures fight on a daily basis," Haruka continued. "I'm sure that the Happiness Charge girls _alone_ have their hands full. God only knows what freaks other Pretty Cures have to deal with..."

"Then we should probably head there," Nick proclaimed. "That's all the reason we need, right?"

"Roger that!" Maylin and Haruka shouted, the Gummi Ship charging full speed ahead for the Blue Sky Kingdom.

And again, that strange feeling washed over Nick's mind.

Now, he was convinced that something was about to happen.

Maybe not right away, but soon.

And it was going to happen here, at the Blue Sky Kingdom. He was damn sure of that.

This was the calm before the storm. But what would come with that storm, Nick could only guess.

* * *

"Hmmmm... things _look_ normal," Maylin quipped as the group arrived in the Marketplace, gazing around for any sign of trouble.

"They always do right before the storm," Nick stated, ready to summon his keyblade if he needed to.

Before anyone could react, a group of Heartless charged up the nearby staircase, causing the quartet to summon their keyblades, only for the Heartless to vanish as soon as they'd appeared.

"You don't think..." Haruka asked.

"It looks like there's more Heartless around now," Marie stated. "Not exactly a good sign..."

To Nick's shock, a few Dusks came flying by, wiggling and jerking around as they sailed through the air, oddly ignoring the keyblade wielders.

"Okay, then, we need to find the Pretty Cures," Maylin proclaimed. "This is officially an emergency."

"I think they're with Tsumugi at the Committee Headquarters," Nick quipped.

On their way to the Borough and the Committee Headquarters, the group eventually spotted someone leaning against a nearby wall, lost in thought.

She had waist length pale pink hair and bright red eyes, was wearing a white tiara with a ruby diamond gem in the center and a red heart on either side accented by a wing, along with matching heart earrings and a white choker. Her red dress had black lining and a sweetheart neckline trim with ruffles and a black ribbon going down the left, tied into a bow.

"Is everything okay, miss?" Nick asked. He could probably guess that she was a Pretty Cure of some sort, what with the impossibly fancy magical girl outfit.

"I'll get her," Cure Passion replied. "This time, we're going to settle it. Me, and the darkness from my past."

"From the past?" Maylin quipped, and Cure Passion seemed to notice that someone was talking to her, gasping in surprise.

"Oh, sorry, I was just... thinking about something," Cure Passion answered. "Oh, you're those keyblade wielders I've heard so much about, right?"

"Yup!" Marie giggled.

"I figured there were more Pretty Cures around here," Nick stated. "Who, exactly, did you say you were looking for?"

"Her name is Eas," Cure Passion answered. "My dark self, the monster I used to be before Love showed me the light. I don't know _how_ she's back after all these years, but..."

"Sounds like the forces of darkness are playing dirty," Maylin quipped.

"Please tell me if you see her, okay?" Cure Passion asked.

"What does she look like?" Haruka wondered.

"She looks like me, but with silver hair and empty, dead eyes," Cure Passion responded. "Be careful, though. She likes to get in your head, tries to isolate and control your darkest thoughts."

"HEY, SETSUNA!"

Cure Passion nearly jumped at the sound of Cure Peach's voice as she rushed over.

"Hey, Setsuna, we're getting ready for dance practice! You coming or what?" Cure Peach laughed.

"Oh, sorry, Love, just... thinking about stuff," Cure Passion admitted.

"You're thinking about Eas again, aren't you?" Cure Peach stated.

"Was it... really that obvious?" Cure Passion sighed. She should have realized that Love could see right through her. "Love, I know that you want to help, but... Eas is _me_. She's _my_ responsibility."

"Setsuna, don't you remember? If it wasn't for me, you'd still _be_ Eas!" Cure Peach proclaimed.

"And that thought _still_ haunts me!" Cure Passion shouted, on the verge of tears. "That's why I don't want to put you through that!"

Despite the way she'd worded that, Cure Peach wasn't worried, opting to simply hug Cure Passion tightly, instantly calming her down.

"But I _want_ to get involved," Cure Peach answered. "You're my best friend, Setsuna, _and_... well, you're my girlfriend, silly. So I'm going to get involved whether you want to or not."

Cure Passion couldn't help but smile at that. "Just as expected of you, Love."

"Hey, remember, no matter what happens, no matter what darkness you might fall into, just think of us, of me, and our light will bring you back again and again," Cure Peach proclaimed. "That's a promise!"

Cure Passion nodded, wondering how she'd ever doubted herself with someone like Love by her side. _Despite everything, I still worry that my past will catch up to me again, but as long as I have my friends, I really don't have anything to fear, do I?_ Cure Passion thought.

"You've gotta fight to get your happiness!" Cure Peach exclaimed. "Right?"

Cure Passion just nodded, leaning over to kiss Cure Peach on the cheek as them walked hand-in-hand back to where Cure Pine and Cure Berry were waiting for them.

"They're a pair, aren't they?" Maylin giggled.

"Honestly, I see a bit of myself in Cure Passion," Marie admitted. "Despite everything I did in the past, controlled or not, I don't let that past define who I am now. Live for today, right?"

"Damn straight, sis," Nick proclaimed.

As the group rounded the corner to the Committee Headquarters, a pack of Heartless spawned around them, consisting mostly of Nightwalkers, Soldiers, and Armored Knights, but including a new kind of Heartless with a very small, navy-blue body, two short legs at the bottom of its body, and a round head with piercing yellow eyes and a jagged maw. It was wearing a tall and conical blue hat with a bent tip and two yellow, spiral-like designs on the front. There were two long arms with black hands and yellow bangles extending from the Heartless' head.

"Oh, goody, the twister boys came to play," Maylin quipped, summoning Spellbinder.

"That weird spinny one is a Tornado Step," Haruka explained to Nick as she summoned Divine Rose and he summoned Gravity Queen. "They like to spin around a lot, but if you can jump on one, you can basically ride it around to attack the others."

"I like the sound of that," Nick laughed, immediately rushing for the Tornado Step, slashing through two Nightwalkers as he did so.

The Tornado Step began to spin its arms around, but Nick jumped over the attack and landed on the Tornado Step's head, pulling on its hat and making it spin the way he wanted it to, straight through a bunch of Nightwalkers and the few remaining Soldiers.

Once Nick had had his fun, he leaped off of the Tornado Step and slammed Gravity Queen down, slicing the Tornado Step in half.

As four Armored Knights approached Nick, he raised Gravity Queen to attack, only for Haruka to start using Strike Raid, throwing Divine Rose over and over to pick off the Armored Knights.

When there were just a few Soldiers left, Maylin raised Spellbinder and cast Thundaga to finish them off.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," Maylin laughed.

"Remember, though," Haruka reprimanded. "This is most likely the calm before the storm. Nick did say that he has a strange feeling that something's going to go down soon."

"I know, I know," Maylin quipped. "But how about we just cross that bridge when we actually get there? Whatever happens along the way happens."

Nick reached for the knob to open the door to the Committee Headquarters, only to instinctively jump back when Cure Princess burst the door open herself, having expected their arrival.

"Hey, guys!" Cure Princess exclaimed.

"Holy _crap_ , Princess, don't scare me like that!" Nick shot back. "You almost bonked me into la-la land back there!"

"Sorry, sorry, but I'm just too excited!" Cure Princess laughed. "We found something _really awesome_ since the last time you guys were here!"

"Really? What'd you find?" Haruka asked as they all walked inside. Cure Lovely, alias Megumi Aino, was sparring with Tsumugi in the corner of the room while Cure Honey, alias Yuuko "Yu-Yu" Omori, was typing something on the keyboard of their computer bank. Cure Fortune, alias Iona Hikawa, and her sister Cure Tender, alias Maria Hikawa, were nowhere to be seen.

"You're not gonna believe this," Cure Princess, alias Hime Shirayuki, giggled. "During the repair efforts on the castle, we actually found a really ancient supercomputer!"

"A _supercomputer_?!" Maylin exclaimed. "Kinda seems out of place in a mostly magical world like this, doesn't it?"

"If I remember correctly, it was something the kingdom tried long ago, a merging of magic and technology, but it didn't go so well, so they sealed it away," Cure Honey explained. "Now that we've found it again, we're gonna see if we can gather some information on that dastardly Organization that you guys have been fighting."

"Yeah, it's gotta know _something_!" Cure Princess proclaimed. "I mean, it's a _supercomputer_ , for crying out loud!"

"Is that where Iona and Maria are?" Marie asked.

"Yeah, they're waiting for you guys over at the castle postern," Cure Lovely stated even as she ducked to avoid a flying spin kick from Tsumugi.

Even now, Nick still wondered about those black bands on Tsumugi's feet. She'd said that they came from Feng, her fairy partner, and that he was channeling his power into them so she could use her legs again until she recovered naturally, if she did at all.

Still, there was something about the way those bands looked that didn't sit right with Nick. But he figured he'd keep that issue on the backburner, because as long as they helped Tsumugi, they couldn't be all bad, right?

The walk through the Bailey was mostly uneventful, leaving Maylin and Haruka to converse about other Pretty Cures that they might run into along the way. Nick knew that there were many Pretty Cure teams out there besides the Happiness Charge team and their fellow international Cures. After all, they'd run into half of the Fresh Pretty Cure team when they'd arrived.

Nick began subconsciously thinking about this Eas character that Cure Passion had mentioned, a shadow of her past that she thought she'd destroyed years ago. If she was back again, what did that mean? Was it just dark memories bringing her back? Was the Organization possibly behind it?

"Um, excuse me? Are you guys with the Restoration Committee?"

Nick skidded to a stop, ready to summon his keyblade if need be, only to not see anyone nearby.

"Um... who said that?" Nick asked.

"Down here, bright eyes!" a second voice proclaimed.

Nick followed the voice down to a trio of small fairies with angel wings floating in front of them. The first fairy had long pink hair and blue eyes and was wearing a blue and white maid uniform. The second fairy had short brown hair and dark red eyes and was wearing a similar maid outfit, but with darker colors. The third fairy had short blond hair that spiked upward and parted in the middle and bright green eyes and was wearing an outfit that resembled a cross between a police officer and a flight attendant.

"Honestly not sure what I was expecting," Maylin quipped.

"Do you guys know what Iona and her friends are up to?" Kurumi, the pink-haired fairy, asked.

"They're doing stuff over at the castle postern," Haruka answered. "That's where _we're_ headed, too."

"Awesome! We've got a scoop, then!" Karinka, the blonde fairy, proclaimed, pumping her fist into the air.

"We should probably report in," Saki, the brown-haired fairy, stated.

"Report? To who?" Marie asked.

"Duh! Our leader!" Karinka shot back. "You know, that Re-mmmmph!"

That last was caused by Saki flying over and clamping her hand over Karinka's mouth, like Karinka had been about to blab something she shouldn't have.

"Oh, don't mind her," Saki giggled. "I assure you, we come in peace."

"You're really going with that shtick, huh?" Karinka quipped. "Okay, then, _you_ do the talking!"

Karinka huffed before vanishing in a flash of golden light.

"I'm really sorry about this," Saki stated before bowing to the keyblade wielders and disappearing in a flash of red light.

Kurumi just struck a pose and giggled before vanishing in a flash of pink light.

Nick looked back at his friends in confusion, at least somewhat relieved to see that they were just as confused as he was.

Thankfully, not much else happened as the group made their way through the Restoration Site, until Marie suddenly stiffened in her spot, a sign that trouble was most likely nearby.

And sure enough, someone was just ahead, leaning against a wall. She had empty red eyes and medium-length silver hair with long and layered bangs covering her ears. She was wearing a black leather jacket-like top that exposed her upper arms and torso, bound by two large gems, a large red collar with furry linings, black short-shorts, a choker, and a pair of black opera gloves with fluffy trim and two raspberry bracelets, and thigh-length stockings with fluffy fabric and a red ribbon, worn with pointed red pumps imbedded with a dark red gem.

Nick instinctively summoned Exalted One to his hands. "You must be Eas, right?" Nick proclaimed.

Eas lifted her head and opened her eyes, but didn't look directly at Nick. "I assume Passion told you about me?" Eas asked.

"Yeah, she said that you're who she used to be before she saw the light," Maylin shot back, summoning Spellbinder. "And that you're not supposed to still be walking around."

"And why am I not allowed to be alive?" Eas proclaimed.

"Oh, don't _even_ start with me, little missy," Marie growled, summoning Darkgnaw. "We know what you used to do before Setsuna stripped you away."

"'Stripped'?" Eas taunted. "You make it sound as though she just decided to completely rip all of her darkness away and discard it without a second thought. How foolish she was."

"The reason she discarded you was because she didn't want to _be_ you anymore!" Nick shouted. "She buried her past for a damn good reason, and she'd rather you just _stay_ buried!"

In response, Eas started walking towards the group.

"Oh, she's looking for me, is she?" Eas proclaimed. "Then... I guess I should give her what she wants. That last little bit of light is always the hardest to snuff out, after all."

Eas began to walk towards the Bailey, only for Nick to plant himself right in front of her, Exalted One aiming for her face.

"You're not going _anywhere_ ," Nick growled.

"Very well. I see you wish to do this the hard way," Eas proclaimed, shifting into a fighting stance. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Eas quickly rushed towards Nick, lashing out with her fists, but Nick quickly swung Exalted One to counter each punch before swinging it upwards and blasting Eas back with a Ripple Drive.

"Hmmm..." Eas hummed as she leaped through the air to attack Maylin, only for the mage to cast Reflect and bounce Eas backwards. "That's quite an interesting weapon you're carrying, isn't it?"

"It's _called_ a keyblade!" Maylin growled, casting Blizzaga, only for Eas to easily deflect it.

"I see... so that's a keyblade. And that would make you its chosen wielders, no doubt," Eas stated, bringing out a harp-shaped weapon.

"And so what if we are?" Haruka shot back, watching Eas' movements just in case she tried something.

"I wonder... will it change its mind... once I defeat you?" Eas proclaimed, beginning to spin around while extending her harp, causing dark energy to start spiraling around her.

"Um, I think we need to move!" Nick exclaimed, causing the party to scatter in different directions to avoid Eas' attack and wait for her to stop spinning.

When she finally touched down, Eas began to play a melody on her harp, causing streams of darkness to erupt from the harp and lash out at the group, knocking them all down to the ground in one fell swoop.

Eas grinned as she began to saunter towards the fallen warriors, only to instantly put her guard back up when Nick hopped to his feet and started charging towards her.

"You're just wasting my time," Eas proclaimed, magically enlarging her harp and holding it in front of her like a shield.

Nick, having seen that trick before, decided to unleash Ars Arcanum, breaking through the shield and causing heavy damage to Eas, eventually throwing her right into a nearby wall with the final blow.

"There, how'd you like _that_?!" Nick challenged.

In response, Eas simply stood up and brushed herself off as if she hadn't taken any damage. "I have to admit, you're quite skilled, for teenagers. But it seems like Passion is the only one who can get rid of me for good."

"And that's supposed to mean _what_?!" Maylin shouted.

Nick backed up a few steps as Eas walked up to him, her face barely an inch away from his.

"The next time you see Passion, tell her to come and find me," Eas proclaimed. "Tell her that her true self is ready to settle the score."

Before Nick could swing his keyblade at her in response, Eas leaped back and vanished through a dark portal, leaving the group to collect their thoughts.

"Wait, guys, I'm confused," Marie quipped as the four continued their journey to the Postern that was just ahead. "Eas said that she was Cure Passion's true self, but Passion doesn't want anything to do with her. What gives?"

"From what I can put together, I think Eas was who Cure Passion used to be," Haruka replied. "I guess something must have happened that turned her good, and then she became Cure Passion."

"In that case, I think I get it," Maylin stated. "When someone evil turns good, they often don't wanna think about the bad stuff they used to do."

"My question, though, is why is Eas still around if Cure Passion said she took care of her years ago?" Nick asked.

"Sounds like our Fresh ladies have quite the story to tell," Maylin quipped. "We'd better check in with Passion once we get back to town."

After a few more minutes of walking, the group finally arrived in the Postern area of the Blue Sky Castle, where Cure Tender was gazing up towards.

"Hey, Tender, what's up?" Maylin giggled. "Is Iona inside there?"

"Yeah, she's waiting for you all in the supercomputer room," Cure Tender responded. "Your queen's pretty interested in it."

"Huh? _Wait_ a minute, Queen Elyon's in there, too?!" Maylin exclaimed. "We haven't seen her since the freakin' time travel plot, and even then, she just up and vanished before we were done! Why did she suddenly pop up now?!"

"Why don't you go ask Iona?" Cure Tender replied. "She's in there with her. Just take the path down to the right and through the corridors, and you'll find them."

"Roger that!" Haruka proclaimed.

As the group walked through the corridors, Nick constantly gazed around, attempting to see around any nearby corners, because he had an odd feeling that someone was observing them.

"Is everything okay, Nick?" Maylin asked.

"Do you think we're being watched?" Nick quipped, summoning World System. "Because I think someone's watching us."

"If so, it doesn't feel malicious or dark, since I didn't sense anything," Marie answered.

"Huh... maybe it was just my imagination or something," Nick admitted. "I'm honestly used to that 'being watched' feeling after everything we've been through. ...do any of you think our adventures are _ever_ going to end?"

"Nobody knows for sure," Haruka answered. "After all, it's like the Oracle and many others have said. As long as darkness exists in even a single heart, the Heartless can never truly be vanquished."

"Then I guess we'll have to keep fighting until everyone's heart is full of light!" Marie proclaimed. "Because even if light and darkness are supposed to be balanced, the Heartless are _clearly_ a threat to that balance."

Nick pushed open the nearby door to enter the Study, a large circular room that appeared to be a dead end.

"Aw, man, is this the end of the road?" Maylin groaned. "Are you guys _sure_ the supercomputer was supposed to be this way?"

"Hey!"

Nick whirled around to see someone standing in the open doorway, a girl about their age with shoulder-length black hair and black eyes, a yellow headband, and a pink shirt emblazoned with a yellow heart.

"Have any of you seen a boy with spiky blonde hair?" Sissi asked. "I'm trying to find him, and I'm not having _any_ luck."

The four keyblade wielders just shrugged, unsure of who Sissi was talking about.

"I thought I had him..." Sissi groaned. "Oh, well, sorry to bother you."

Sissi walked out of the study, shaking her head in confusion as she did so.

"Um... okay, then?" Haruka quipped.

"Oh, so you finally made it."

The group turned around to see Cure Fortune leaning against the back wall, almost surprised that they hadn't noticed her the moment they'd arrived.

"Oh, hey, Fortune," Marie stated. "How'd you get here so quickly?"

"You doofs just didn't see me," Cure Fortune laughed.

"Hold on, where's Queen Elyon?" Nick asked.

"She's actually busy dealing with some Heartless in town," Cure Fortune answered. "Don't worry, you'll see her soon enough. But this ought to tide you over until she gets back."

Cure Fortune reached out and pressed a hidden button on the wall, causing a part of the wall to flash white and vanish completely, revealing a tunnel that led deeper into the room.

"Holy secret passage, Batman!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Is the supercomputer in there?" Nick asked.

"Yup," Cure Fortune replied. "Time to see if we can figure out what the Organization's deal is."

With that, the group all crossed over into the Supercomputer Chamber, which was actually three rooms put together into one larger, circular room. To the northwest end was what appeared to be the supercomputer itself, a large tower with glowing yellow lines running across it. On the northeast end was a circular computer station consisting of a rather oversized chair that looked like it could swivel around the circular base it was attached to, and a computer screen with three smaller monitors positioned around it. On the south end of the room, four large metal tubes were resting along the walls, and one of them was closed.

"Right out of every sci-fi movie in existence," Maylin giggled.

"Um, I think this looks a little more contemporary than your typical sci-fi," Haruka answered.

Marie glanced over at the supercomputer, noticing a name inscribed on it. "Hmmm... 'Lyoko Operating System, Project Carthage'," Marie read. "Is that the name of this thing?"

"Well, let's see if we can figure things out here," Nick quipped, sitting down in the swivel chair and placing his fingers on the keyboard, typing in a few keywords.

"Easy, easy," Cure Fortune quipped, not noticing three figures hanging from the ceiling. "We don't know how this works, so maybe don't type random things?"

Marie couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Nick _always_ threw himself into it when presented with a new challenge.

Having seen something out of the corner of her eye, Marie glanced around, then looked up and nearly screamed in surprise.

Three girls were climbing along the ceiling. One of them had long pink hair in twintails and blue eyes and a sword strapped to her back with an orange swirl embedded on it. Her headband was also unusual, decorated with a large replica of what appeared to be the controller of the Sega Dreamcast. The second girl had long black hair in twintails and, surprisingly, one blue eye and one green eye, and had two staves strapped to her back, each decorated with a blue sphere with a silver S crossing through it. The third girl had long blonde hair and red eyes, with a controller-shaped hairclip by her forehead, and was holding a rather large tome.

"Um, what the _hell_?!" Marie shouted.

"ACK!" the first girl, Dreamcast, sputtered. "Saturn, we're busted!"

"That's because _you_ thought going all monkey bar along the roof was a good idea!" the second girl, Saturn, shot right back. "Why do I keep constantly getting dragged into your schemes, Dreamcast?!"

"Um, Saturn, you're losing your..." the third girl, Mega Drive, started, only to be cut short as Saturn, in her annoyance at Dreamcast, lost her grip on the ceiling and fell straight down onto the keyboard that Nick was using, causing him to dive off of the swivel chair in fear of retaliation.

"I think that's enough for now! Let's beat it, girls!" Dreamcast exclaimed, jumping down to the floor and racing down the access tunnel.

"Hey, _get back here_ , Dreamcast!" Saturn shouted, pounding on the keyboard in frustration before chasing Dreamcast. Mega Drive fell back to the ground and simply bowed in apology before dashing off to pursue her friends.

"Um... what was _that_ all about?!" Maylin gasped.

" **ATTENTION CURRENT USER,"** a loud and monotone voice resounded from somewhere in the room. **"THIS IS A WARNING. ANY FURTHER MISUSE OF THE SUPERCOMPUTER TERMINAL WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DEFENSIVE ACTION."**

"Wait, who are _you_ , now?" Nick asked.

" **I AM X.A.N.A. AND I AM THE OVERSEER OF THIS SYSTEM."**

"You don't sound so friendly, though," Marie quipped. "You're not gonna turn into HAL 9000, are you?"

Marie reached out to lightly slap the edge of the supercomputer, only for warning sirens to start blaring in the room, flooding the area with a red light.

"H-Hey, I didn't know you could feel that!" Marie gasped.

" **DECISION GATE REACHED. YOU ARE ALL UNDER ARREST."**

"Wait, arrest? What exactly are you planning?!" Nick growled, summoning Oathkeeper.

The answer to that came in the form of three laser guns that descended from the ceiling almost without warning and fired beams at Nick, Maylin, and Haruka that sent them flying backwards into the three open scanners at the south end of the room. Before they could react to escape, the tubes closed around them and there was a bright flash of light. When the tubes opened again, they were gone.

Marie and Cure Fortune just stood there, unsure of their friends' fates.

* * *

When Nick was able to open his eyes again, he noticed that they were no longer in the supercomputer room, but were now inside a large, seemingly empty room with a dark blue coloration and a rather unsettling eye-like design on the floor beneath them.

"Ouch... did someone catch the number of the train that hit me?" Maylin groaned as she stood up, only to gasp in shock at their new surroundings. "Wait, where the hell are we?! Where did that X.A.N.A. creep zap us to?!"

"I think... I think we're _inside_ the supercomputer," Haruka answered. "Maybe those tubes that X.A.N.A. shot us into were some kind of device that allows someone to become data and enter the supercomputer's datascape."

"Oof, we've been to some trippy places, but _this_ definitely tops it," Maylin quipped.

"Let's get out of this room and start exploring," Nick proclaimed. "Hopefully _something_ in this clustered mess can get us back to the real world."

So, summoning their keyblades for good measure (and noticing that their keyblades all took on a bluish-white tint in this world), Nick, Maylin, and Haruka walked out of the Arena, through a swirl-shaped door into the Access Hall, a large tunnel that appeared to be made of many moving pillars and blocks.

"All right, now I'm freaked out," Maylin quipped.

Streams of data began to appear around the group, forcing them to get on guard, and after a couple seconds, what appeared to be Heartless appeared from the data streams.

One of the new Heartless types was a thin and mechanical humanoid made of black material covered in thin, yellow circuitry. Its head resembled a lowly Shadow, being just a black sphere with glowing, yellow eyes. It was wearing a diamond-shaped helmet with an angular, curled antenna connected to its top. Its upper arms were quite thin, while its forearms were wide and flat. Its legs were much shorter than its arms, and the Heartless emblem was emblazoned on its chest.

The other new Heartless type had a large wheel making up its lower body, had an almost entirely black body covered in red computer circuitry, a long, sleek, and oval-shaped head with a jagged red antenna on its top, and short arms with grey hands tipped with conical red spikes.

"What the heck are _these_ freaks?!" Haruka exclaimed.

"You don't know these ones, Haruka?" Nick quipped. Usually, Haruka always had an explanation for a Heartless that she and Maylin had fought before that Nick had never seen.

"Not this time, Nick, sorry," Haruka apologized. "I've _never_ seen this kind of Heartless before."

"Great, so we're fighting blind," Maylin groaned.

"Hey, they don't look _that_ tough," Nick admitted. "Let's just waste 'em and move on."

The yellow Heartless, the Strafer, proceeded to do its namesake and strafe around, firing off gold energy rings as it did so. Nick raised Oathkeeper to block the rings before going on the offensive, slashing at it three times before finishing with a Gravity Break, sending the Strafer flying into one of the red Heartless, the Magnum Loader, and destroying them both.

One of the Magnum Loaders rolled around and charged for Haruka, but she swiped upwards to knock it off balance, followed by a quick series of spinning slashes to destroy it.

As another Magnum Loader approached the group, a part of the Access Hall's walls extended out like a pillar at frightening speeds, instantly destroying the Magnum Loader before retracting back into the wall.

"Holy crap, that was something else," Maylin quipped as she blasted a Strafer with a Watera spell. "I guess beware of the killer wall pillars."

"It's a strange supercomputer datascape," Haruka stated, slamming Divine Rose down and unleashing a Tremor, destroying a few more Magnum Loaders in the process. "I don't expect _anything_ here to make sense."

Nick decided to try something he'd done earlier, and rushed over to a Strafer before jumping on top of it.

"Now, ride, little digital doggie!" Nick proclaimed, yanking on the Strafer's arms to make it fire its energy rings at other Strafers and Magnum Loaders. Once they were all destroyed, Nick leaped off of the Strafer he'd been riding and landed with a fast downward chop, destroying his mount.

"Well, that was interesting," Nick quipped. "But I think we'd better get out of here before those walls decide to crush us."

Maylin was all for that, so the trio continued down the Access Hall, avoiding any extending pillars, until they found themselves in the Core Zone, a gigantic atrium-styled room full of those same moving wall pillars that had lined the Access Hall.

"Oh, funderful," Maylin quipped.

"They don't seem to be moving, though, so let's count our blessings for now," Haruka stated.

"Hey, there's someone over there!" Nick exclaimed.

Just ahead, exploring the area herself, was a girl about their age with pink hair, green eyes, and a pink and white uniform.

"Wait, there's other people in this technological nuthouse?" Maylin gasped.

"Maybe she's stuck here like us," Haruka answered. "Let's go see what she's up to."

The group walked up to the girl, who seemed oddly surprised to see other people here.

"Um... how did you find the scanners?" Aelita Schaeffer asked. "Did X.A.N.A. virtualize you as well?"

"If by X.A.N.A., you mean the big scary system overseer that zapped us in here in the first place, then yeah, it did," Maylin quipped.

"What exactly _is_ this place?" Nick asked. "We were just looking for the supercomputer to see if it could tell us about the Organization. I didn't expect there to be a whole _world_ inside this thing."

"This is Lyoko, the world inside the supercomputer," Aelita answered.

"So _that's_ what that meant!" Maylin exclaimed, remembering the name that Marie had read off of the supercomputer itself. "Lyoko Operating System, Project Carthage!"

"Exactly," Aelita responded as the trio began to follow her, understanding that she most likely knew this place better than any of them ever would. "This is actually a complete copy of the original Lyoko, as the original version was destroyed when the old supercomputer was wiped. Someone in the Blue Sky Kingdom got hold of this copy of Lyoko and used it for town maintenance and advancing their research. My name is Aelita, by the way. My friends and I are the ones who discovered the original supercomputer and used it to fight X.A.N.A, a sentient artificial intelligence that wants to take over the world, using Lyoko to do so."

"Wait, how can X.A.N.A. use Lyoko to attack the real world?" Nick wondered.

"X.A.N.A. can use Lyoko's many towers to influence various technology in the real world," Aelita answered. "Which reminds me, you should probably get out of here. If you don't, who knows what X.A.N.A. will do to you."

"Therein lies the problem," Haruka responded. " _How_ exactly do we get out of here?"

"There's an interface in the Celestial Dome that can access Lyoko's data and access the virtualization program," Aelita answered. "However, X.A.N.A. cut the power to the Dome a long time ago. That's why my friends and I are still stuck here in Lyoko."

"Oh, that doesn't sound pleasant at all," Nick quipped.

"The only way we can reactivate the interface is if we re-activate the power in the Power Station," Aelita continued.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Maylin exclaimed. "Let's go juice that thing up!"

Aelita giggled at Maylin's proclamation. "You sound just like Odd when you say that."

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere else in Lyoko, a teenage boy with black hair and navy blue eyes could be seen standing in front of a large screen, talking to what appeared to be the Eye of X.A.N.A., its only real symbol.

"My lord X.A.N.A., why not just throw all of the Lyoko Warriors into the digital sea and be done with it?" William Dunbar asked.

" **I STILL HAVE NOT LEARNED THE PASSWORD FOR THE DATASPACE,"** X.A.N.A. answered. **"I NEED THAT PASSWORD IF I AM TO COMPLETE MY TAKEOVER OF LYOKO AND EXPAND TO THE TOWN OUTSIDE."**

"Well, how about a logic probe?" William asked. "With all the processing power you have, it should be no problem for you."

" **OUT OF THE QUESTION. OUR CURRENT ENVIRONMENT HAMPERS THE PROCESSING POWER NECESSARY FOR SUCH AN ANALYSIS."**

Suddenly, alarms began to blare all around the room.

" **YOU ARE DISMISSED, WILLIAM,"** X.A.N.A. proclaimed. **"STOP THE LYOKO WARRIORS AND TAKE CARE OF ANY REMAINING SYSTEM ANOMALIES. END OF LINE."**

"Acknowledged," William answered, drawing his Zweihander and grinning wickedly.

* * *

After a little more walking, the group eventually reached an elevator platform that ran along the outer edges of this entire sector of Lyoko, simply called Sector Five or Carthage, after the original Project Carthage that had given birth to Lyoko and X.A.N.A. in the first place. Aelita directed the group to jump on the elevator as it passed by, and they watched as the elevator took them around Sector Five until a glowing yellow room began to approach. The group leaped off the elevator as it continued to move, not stopping for anything.

"Wow, pretty swank power station," Maylin giggled.

"Let's go turn this thing back on," Nick proclaimed.

"That won't be possible normally," Aelita stated. "X.A.N.A. locked the controls for this station."

To Aelita's confusion, Nick just grinned. "Locked, you say?"

Nick walked up to the power station console and summoned the Kingdom Key to his hands, raising it towards the console. Sure enough, a glowing keyhole appeared on the console screen, and Nick fired a beam of light from the Kingdom Key into it. A loud click resounded, and the console came to life, pumping energy through its pipes that resembled orange-gold lightning.

"H-How did you do that?" Aelita asked. "I didn't think you had such useful powers."

"Well, when you wield a keyblade that can open or close any lock in existence, 'locked' doesn't really register as a problem," Nick quipped.

"All right, now we can get you back," Aelita stated. "Let's get to the Celestial Dome so we can activate the exit terminal and send you home."

After exiting the Power Station, the group again hopped onto the Elevator as it came by and rode it all the way back around to the stairway that led to the Celestial Dome and the interface console.

But after climbing the stairway, Aelita stopped in her tracks when she saw William standing in the center of the large room, his Zweihander planted into the floor.

"Well, well, look who showed up as expected," William proclaimed. "I really have to stop running into you like this, Aelita."

"What are _you_ doing here, William?" Aelita proclaimed, trying to bluff her way out since she knew she currently had no way of fighting back.

"Simple, really," William cackled. "X.A.N.A. wants me to take you out so I can find the rest of your friends and eventually access the DTD."

"Are you _still_ going on about that?" Aelita growled. "You know you're not going to find what you need here!"

"Then maybe I can force it out of you," William laughed, lifting his Zweihander and aiming it for Aelita. "After all, considering that _this_ Lyoko is simply a copy of the old one, X.A.N.A. now considers you expendable."

William suddenly turned into a cloud of smoke, flying forward at incredible speed, before reforming in front of Aelita and swinging his Zweihander, intending to chop her in half right on the spot.

Nick ran over and raised Fairy Stars to stop the swing cold. "Don't _even_ think about it, dark boy," Nick proclaimed.

"Oh? And what can _you_ do to stop _me_?" William laughed.

"Oh, am I _really_ glad you asked that, jerk. _Style Change: Spellweaver!"_ Maylin proclaimed, her body and Stormfall glowing a radiant blue and floating slightly off the ground, her eyes twinkling and Stormfall telekinetically floating by her right hand.

"My turn, then. _Style Change: Wingblade!"_ Haruka shouted, her body and Divewing glowing a brilliant pink and floating slightly off the ground, and six pink energy swords floating behind her and invoking angel wings.

"I guess I'll suit up, too, heh. _Style Change: Fever Pitch!"_ Nick shouted, his body and Fairy Stars glowing a bright emerald and vibrating slightly to invoke incredible speed. Bright green wings were also sprouting from his shoes.

"Aelita, you go access the interface and activate the de-virtualizer thingy!" Nick proclaimed. "We'll hold him off."

Aelita nodded and dashed over to access the interface console.

"Show me what you've got, kiddies!" William proclaimed, rushing towards the group and swinging his Zweihander extremely fast.

Thankfully, Nick was faster in Fever Pitch, swinging Fairy Stars with incredible speed to counter William's swing, even as he turned into a cloud of Super Smoke and started flying towards Aelita.

"Oh, no you don't!" Maylin shouted, casting Magnega nearby right as William reformed to pull him away from Aelita, who was still working frantically to find the access codes that would enable the return program.

Haruka took advantage of this and began to attack William rapidly, swinging Divewing in wide, sweeping strikes and stabs. As she did so, the six energy swords she'd gained also began to attack in seemingly random patterns with each strike Haruka made, as if they had a will of their own.

When her combo was finished, Haruka ended off by stabbing four of her blades forward at once, then leaping into the air and performing a powerful downward slash with the last two energy blades and Divewing, causing a burst of wind to erupt from the point of impact and drive William back.

"You've got more guts than I expected," William admitted. "But are you ready for me to spill them all over this digital world?!"

"I still have an annoyingly long life to live, thanks _so much_!" Maylin shouted, moving in to attack William. Even as he raised his Zweihander to defend himself, Maylin simply broke through with her own combo, starting by swinging Stormfall low and letting it spin around, then following up with a flying uppercut with the spiraling keyblade, then thrusting it forward and creating a prism-shaped barrier in front of her that spun around to damage William. Maylin finished her combo by aiming Stormfall for William's chest and firing off a large sphere of light that did multiple hits worth of damage and caused William to fall to his knees.

William clutched at his chest, where a crack in his armor could be seen, no doubt caused by Maylin's Spellweaver attack. But instead of bleeding like he normally should, Maylin was surprised to see bits of computer data falling from his wound.

"W-wait, you're not even _real_?!" Maylin gasped.

"You will _never_ best me!" William shouted, picking himself up and leaping through the air straight for Aelita.

Nick was over there quickly, raising Fairy Stars to block William's swing, then slashing outwards to destroy the Zweihander. The shattered blade exploded into a cloud of glowing polygons before dissipating.

"Oh, just shut up already," Nick groaned, proceeding to slash at William's wounded chest with four lightning-fast swings, finishing by slashing upwards with Fairy Stars and sending out five large beams of light across the floor in a fan-shaped pattern that sent William flying off of the platform and into the abyss below.

"There," Nick proclaimed. "Now go in the corner and think about what you've done."

"Got it!" Aelita proclaimed, pressing one final button. "The return program's been activated!"

"Awesome!" Maylin exclaimed as the three keyblade wielders regrouped, their Style Changes fading away. "Now... where do we go to get back?"

"The Arena," Aelita answered. "It's the place where you most likely first appeared when X.A.N.A. virtualized you. By the way... when you get back, can you do something for me?"

"Of course!" Maylin proclaimed.

"Wait, don't you want to hear what it is?" Aelita gasped.

"Hey, you helped us, so now it's our turn to help you," Haruka answered.

"...you act just like my friends, honestly," Aelita laughed. "Okay, then. The problem is, I'm kind of stuck here. We all are."

"Stuck how?" Haruka asked.

"As I said, this version of Lyoko is actually a copy derived from the original Lyoko," Aelita answered as the group made their way back through the Core Zone. "When my friends and I found this Lyoko and realized that X.A.N.A. had either somehow survived or been recreated, we decided to re-enter Lyoko and stop him before he could carry out any more of his plans. But... when we arrived, one of his monsters stole our avatars' source codes, which means we can't return to the real world unless we get them back."

"That sounds like a problem, but what can _we_ do about it?" Nick asked.

"There's a girl named Sissi that came with us before we went to Lyoko," Aelita continued. "We entrusted her with the password to the DTD, which is the name Jeremie gave to the dataspace. Copies of all of Lyoko's original system programs are stored on it, along with sensitive or restricted information."

"Do you think it has any information on Organization XIII?" Maylin wondered. "Because that's the whole reason we even decided to look for the supercomputer in the first place!"

"It seems like it would," Aelita replied as the group finally reached the Arena, where a large circle of light was now visible at the center of the room, right at the center of the Eye of X.A.N.A. on the floor.

"The reason I couldn't help you fight William was because a number of my combat skills were stolen from me the last time I tried to de-activate a tower," Aelita explained. "That's why I need the password. If I can get inside the DTD, I can access the backup programs and restore my abilities, and even get our source codes back. That way, we can stand a fighting chance against X.A.N.A. and hopefully erase him for good this time."

"By the way, who exactly _was_ William?" Haruka asked. "You talk like you've messed with him before."

"He was a friend of ours for a while until X.A.N.A. took control of him," Aelita responded. "And even though we were able to free him the first time X.A.N.A. was destroyed, he must have created a digital clone in this Lyoko to be his enforcer."

Aelita gestured to the glowing circle on the floor. "I don't know how long it'll be before X.A.N.A. figures things out, so you three should probably get back to the real world."

"We'll be back, Aelita, don't you worry," Maylin proclaimed. "And we _will_ have the password with us."

Nick, Maylin, and Haruka stepped into the glowing circle, a column of light surrounding them.

* * *

Marie was the first to tense up when she saw the scanners opening (except for the fourth one, oddly enough), but quickly felt relieved when she saw Nick, Maylin, and Haruka emerge from the scanners.

"What _happened_ in there, you guys?" Cure Fortune proclaimed.

"It's a long story, to be honest," Maylin giggled.

And so, they told the story of Lyoko, X.A.N.A., and the girl they'd made a promise to.

"So, basically, any information that the computer has about the Organization is off-limits unless we know the password to the DTD," Cure Fortune summarized.

"Aelita said that a girl named Sissi was entrusted with the password, but I have no idea where she could be," Maylin groaned.

"Wait, wasn't Sissi that girl we saw poking around here before we got zapped?" Nick quipped. "She said she was looking for someone."

"Oh, man, this wild goose chase is getting stranger and stranger," Haruka sighed.

"You're chasing _what_ now?"

The group spun around and noticed that Sissi had entered the supercomputer room, looking quite stern.

"Well, well, a hidden room," Sissi quipped, though her stern expression quickly faded into one of shock when she noticed the supercomputer, the data terminal, and the scanners. "W-wait, wait, how did you all find this?"

"It's a lot to explain, but we'll just cut to the chase," Nick proclaimed. "Your name is Sissi, right?"

"Um... yes, it is. Why?" Sissi replied.

"Long story short, Aelita said that her friend Jeremie entrusted you with the password to the DTD, the dataspace inside Lyoko," Nick explained.

"Yeah, but Jeremie's trapped inside Lyoko, just like the others!" Sissi exclaimed. "Why do you think the last scanner's closed?"

"That's why we need the password," Maylin stated. "So Aelita can get inside the DTD and restore everyone's source codes so they can come home!"

"Only problem with that, is that Jeremie's the only one who really knew how to operate all of this stuff," Sissi admitted. "All I know how to do is operate the scanners in case they find a way to make it back..."

"Perfect! Then you can do that for us!" Haruka proclaimed. "You can operate the scanners to get us back to Lyoko, and then we can get the password to Aelita. Shouldn't be hard, right?"

"Hey, guys, I found more writing on the supercomputer!" Marie exclaimed. The group all raced over to the supercomputer to check out the writing Marie had found.

"Hmmm..." Marie quipped. "Sky... Main Security... X.A.N.A., Lyoko... Door... to... huh?"

"It kinda looks like a diagram," Haruka admitted. "Maybe a map of this new Lyoko and the things that got added to it."

"Door... to... darkness?" Marie continued. "What?"

"That sounds pretty ominous," Maylin quipped.

Suddenly, Nick had a realization. "That's it!"

Nick pointed to the letters that were highlighted on the diagram. "D, T, D! See? DTD! The Door to Darkness!"

"Wait, hold on, isn't the Door to Darkness the door that guarded Kingdom Hearts?!" Haruka gasped, remembering their final battle with Izanami-no-Mikoto.

" _Even so, it... is futile," Mariko wheezed. "The keyblade alone... cannot seal the door to darkness..."_

 _Mariko turned to the great door not too far away from her. "Hear me, o great Kingdom Hearts! Fill me... fill my very soul... with the grand power of darkness!"_

 _The door to Kingdom Hearts slowly opened, and sure enough, darkness began to seep from the cracks in the door._

" _Yes, yes! Supreme darkness is mine!" Mariko exclaimed._

" _You're wrong again," Nick shot back, finally able to find the feeling in his legs to stand up and glare at Mariko._

" _I know now, without a shred of doubt in my heart," Nick proclaimed. "Kingdom Hearts... is_ _ **light**_ _!"_

 _As if in response to Nick's proclamation, the darkness retreated back into the door, and a great light burst through the door, completely enveloping Mariko's body._

" _Light... but... but_ _ **why**_ _?!" where Mariko Kusumi's last words as everything she was, heart, body, and soul, was overwhelmed and utterly destroyed by the light of Kingdom Hearts._

"Exactly," Nick stated. "Aelita said that Jeremie was the one who named the dataspace. He must have seen at least some of the research here related to the DTD and named it after the Door to Darkness."

"Okay, but that doesn't mean squat unless we know the password," Cure Fortune groaned. "This is why I usually leave the tech work to Honey..."

"Say, did somebody mention the Door to Darkness?"

That was a very familiar voice, and sure enough, standing just outside the gateway to the supercomputer room was Elyon, wielding a completely different keyblade.

This new keyblade had a handle and hilt that resembled the Crown of Light, the shaft was a long and thin ice-blue energy blade topped off by a blue replica of the Star of Threbe, the teeth were a large, six-pointed burst of light with the symbol of each Guardian on each point, along with her own personal symbol, and the token, connected by a keychain made of many red, spherical jewels, was the eraser her mother had given her as a child while learning to draw. To Nick, the words _Royal Radiance_ came to his mind as he glanced at the keyblade.

"YOUR MAJESTY!" Maylin and Haruka shouted at the same time.

"Not so loud!" Elyon responded quickly. "The Organization might be listening!"

That didn't stop Maylin and Haruka from dashing over to hug the queen tightly, causing Elyon to laugh.

"Okay, now that we've settled that, what was that you guys said about the Door to Darkness?" Elyon asked.

"It's the name of the datascape inside this supercomputer, and we're trying to figure out its password," Nick replied. "We're trying to see if the supercomputer can give us some information about Organization XIII and that Mysterious Figure that keeps attacking us."

"Well, the Door to Darkness was only opened when Izanami-no-Mikoto united all of her avatars together," Elyon answered. "That's how you got there when you fought her, right?"

"Hey, I think Jeremie mentioned that," Sissi quipped. "Maybe the names of those avatars are the password."

"Of course!" Maylin exclaimed.

"On that note, isn't Aelita waiting for you guys?" Cure Fortune asked.

The trio glanced back at Elyon, wondering what to do about _that_.

"Hey, don't worry about lil' ol' me," Elyon giggled. "I'm not going anywhere. If the Heartless or those Organization creeps come calling, I'll stand and fight with everybody here!"

"Then let's have our little group chat later, okay?" Haruka stated.

"You got it," Elyon quipped. "See you when you get back."

As the trio turned to leave, Elyon gasped loudly, as if she'd forgotten something.

"Oh, one more thing, Nick!" Elyon called. "I wanted to give you some new powers for those fancy clothes you're wearing."

Elyon began to channel her powers, light flowing from the jewel on the Crown of Light into the blade of Royal Radiance as she traced a pattern through the air, eventually slashing through that pattern and unleashing streams of light that converged on Nick's body, lifting him into the air.

Both Maylin and Haruka vanished from sight as Nick threw his arms out, golden light exploding from his outfit.

When the light show died down, Nick had landed back on the ground, once again transformed into a new Drive Form. Now, his clothes had turned to black and multiple shades of gold and yellow, and the symbols on his pant legs and sleeves had become three black crosses arranged in a fancy overlapping pattern. His left eye had become Maylin's shade of dark blue, and his right eye had become Haruka's shade of strawberry pink. In his left hand was Spellbinder, golden electricity crackling across its blade and around Nick's left hand. A spherical golden aura was surrounding Nick's right hand, and Divine Rose was floating close to Nick's right hand, occasionally spinning in place all on its own.

"Whoa, check us out," Master Form Nick proclaimed, his voice now a mixture of the voices of Nick, Maylin, and Haruka. "Thank you so much, Your Majesty."

"No problem, Nick!" Elyon giggled. "You and your friends have already done so much for us, so just consider it a present from me to you."

"Well, we're heading off to get the password to Aelita, so stay here and wait for us, okay, Your Majesty?" Master Form Nick asked.

"You got it! Just be careful in there, all right?" Elyon responded.

"I'll guard her with my life, you guys," Marie quipped, having decided to stay behind for now and protect the queen.

Sissi sat herself down in the swivel chair as Master Form Nick rushed to one of the open scanners. _I hope you guys are okay in there,_ Sissi thought as she remembered the happiness she'd felt at finally being accepted into the Lyoko Warriors' circle of friends. _I wanna make up for all the times I was a jerk to you. I hope this a good way to start._

* * *

"This is so trippy," Master Form Nick quipped as he made his way through the Core Zone, still trying to get used to this new form of his.

 _Tell me about it,_ Maylin's voice resounded in Nick's mind. _I'm used to sharing a body with Nick in Wisdom Form, but now all three of us are in the same body! How freakin' sci-fi is that?!_

 _Now I'm wondering who controls what in this form, since there's three of us,_ Haruka's voice resounded.

 _I'm sure we'll find out soon,_ Nick's voice resounded. _No doubt X.A.N.A. has some of its goons out on patrol._

And sure enough, streams of data began to converge on areas just ahead, spawning a small army of Bloks, a few Krabs, and even a Megatank, all monsters native to Lyoko thanks to X.A.N.A.'s programs.

"Well, I guess we're getting our wish sooner than expected," Master Form Nick proclaimed. "Let's wreck some monsters!"

Master Form Nick charged into the fray, going for the Krabs first, as they were one of the larger enemies. As the Krab reared back to fire its laser, Master Form Nick began attacking, both of his keyblades extending outwards as he swung in wide, spiraling motions, dealing damage in a wide area of effect and even catching a few Bloks in the process.

For the finisher, Master Form Nick raised Spellbinder above his head and extended Divine Rose outwards as far as he could with his telekinetic grip, and began to twirl around, creating a magnetic energy orb around him as he spun around that drew in all of the monsters except the Megatank. As they floated helplessly around him, Master Form Nick capped off the move by slashing Divine Rose outwards, causing the magnetic force around him to explode outwards, sending all of the Bloks flying into the extending pillar walls native to Sector Five and causing the Krabs to topple over.

Now that the monsters were down for the count, Master Form Nick decided to add a magic touch to finish them off, starting off by casting Thundaga. He was surprised to see himself jumping through the air in a curved arc, gigantic thunderbolts raining down from the sky along his path, instantly destroying many of the weakened monsters.

 _Holy_ _ **crap**_ _, did our magic just get supercharged?!_ Maylin gasped.

The lone survivor, the Megatank, rolled towards him, opening its shell to fire off its laser beam attack. Master Form Nick saw his opportunity, casting Waterga at the Megatank's eye, gasping in surprise when instead of a ring of large water bubbles, a gigantic waterspout erupted from his keyblades and battered the Megatank's eye, causing the entire thing to explode into glowing polygons of light.

"Yeah, suck on that!" Master Form Nick proclaimed proudly, only to stop in his tracks when he noticed Aelita standing there, looking very awed by the display he had just shown off.

 _Well, it looks like she's impressed,_ Maylin giggled.

 _How about we stop wasting time and get the password to her?_ Haruka stated.

Master Form Nick nodded and began to run towards Aelita, separating back into Nick, Maylin, and Haruka as he did so.

"You came back already?" Aelita gasped. "Why didn't you just transmit the data from the terminal?"

"Because... well, none of us know how to operate a supercomputer terminal, and Sissi only knows enough to operate the scanners," Nick stated. "We didn't want to risk damaging the supercomputer in the process."

"Good call," Aelita replied. "Well, then let's get to the Dataspace area and we can access the DTD."

However, it seemed that X.A.N.A. wasn't going to let the group through unchallenged, since they found themselves accosted by a large, jellyfish-like monster as they approached the gateway to the South Pole that led to the Dataspace.

"Oof, what's _this_ ugly thing?" Maylin quipped.

Aelita, however, stopped right in her tracks, her body shivering slightly. After all, this monster was _never_ good news, even in this new Lyoko where she had nothing that it could really take from her.

"Is everything all right, Aelita?" Haruka asked. "Is this thing really that bad?"

"It's a Scyphozoa," Aelita gasped. "This thing always tried to drain my memories because I used to hold the Lyoko Keys in the old version of Lyoko. If the Scyphozoa took them away from me, X.A.N.A. would have had full control over Lyoko."

"Okay, so what danger does this thing pose to you in the _new_ Lyoko?" Nick wondered.

"If... if I lose all my Life Points on Lyoko without my source codes... I'll cease to exist," Aelita responded. "I'll disappear from both worlds forever..."

Nick understood why she felt scared now, especially considering that her combat abilities, her only means of fighting back, had literally been stolen from her by X.A.N.A., leaving her at the Scyphozoa's mercy, if it even possessed any.

With that in mind, Nick summoned Processor Unit to his hands, just as Maylin summoned Counterpoint and Haruka summoned Rumbling Rose.

"Then just get somewhere safe, okay, Aelita?" Nick stated. "We'll send this thing packing."

"Yeah, there's no way in _hell_ that we'd leave a friend of ours in the lurch!" Maylin proclaimed.

"Just leave this thing to us, okay, Aelita?" Haruka agreed. "We'll stomp it as many times as we've gotta."

Aelita nodded, feeling grateful to have such wonderful friends as she retreated to a safe area of the South Pole.

The Scyphozoa waved its tentacles, unleashing a strange gurgling roar as it floated over to attack.

"Back off, fish man!" Maylin shouted, raising Counterpoint to fire a Thunder spell into the Scyphozoa's strange head and forcing it back slightly, though not enough to stop its movement. "Keep those lady-snatchers in your non-existent pockets!"

Haruka decided to hang back and use Strike Raid over and over, attacking from a safe distance because she knew she didn't really want to get anywhere close to the Scyphozoa's tentacles.

Nick joined Maylin in casting a Thunder spell at the Scyphozoa's head, wondering where exactly the Eye of X.A.N.A. was on this thing, knowing that the Eye was a monster's weak spot.

As the Scyphozoa whirled around, its tentacles extended for a spinning attack, it dipped down to extend its reach, and Nick saw the Eye of X.A.N.A. on the top of its head. It was small, but definitely there.

"I found its weak spot!" Nick exclaimed.

"It looks like we're gonna have to get some air in order to hit it," Haruka quipped.

"Then let's leap!" Maylin responded. "This thing is really starting to creep me out."

Haruka stood her ground even as the Scyphozoa continued to advance, so Nick and Maylin could back up a couple steps before barreling forward full charge, jumping forward to leapfrog off of Haruka's shoulders.

While still in the air, Maylin took Nick's free hand and began to spin him around before using the momentum to throw him straight for the Scyphozoa. The instant Nick landed on the Scyphozoa's head, he unleashed Ars Arcanum on the vulnerable eye, taking great pride in the gurgling noises of agony the Scyphozoa was making with each hit.

Even as many of the Scyphozoa's tentacles raised to attempt to swat Nick off, Nick simply used a Round Break to drive the tentacles away before jumping into the air and spinning Processor Unit in his hands as he came down to drive the keyblade straight into the Eye of X.A.N.A., causing the creature to stop dead in its tracks.

The Scyphozoa roared loudly before its roars faded into disturbing choking noises as it slowly floated back down to the ground, slumping in defeat before exploding into glowing polygons around Nick.

"And that's how the fish gets cooked," Nick quipped.

Maylin just sweatdropped at that particular line. "Nick, _please_ get better with the one-liners before I lap you again, 'kay?"

"W-what?!" Nick exclaimed. "I worked hard on that one!"

"Irma said that in cooking class last year, remember?" Haruka giggled. "We were there, after all."

"...I just can't win, honestly," Nick groaned.

Aelita just stood there, mouth open in shock. Never in their lives had any of her friends ever defeated a Scyphozoa before, only managing to slightly damage it or force it to retreat via other means.

"You all just keep surprising me," Aelita stated.

"We get that a lot," Nick quipped. "Either way, now that mister ugly squid's out of the way, we'd better get to the Dataspace so we can access the DTD before X.A.N.A. finds out what we're up to."

With that, the group took the South Pole to another elevator that ferried them downwards to a large room directly under the outer shell of Sector Five, consisting of a triangle formation of three large monitors, one much larger than the others.

"Is this the Dataspace?" Maylin asked.

"It looks exactly like what Jeremie told me," Aelita replied. "So, yes, this must be it."

"Hey, Sissi told us that Jeremie's stuck here on Lyoko, too," Nick wondered. "Did X.A.N.A. get him, too?"

Aelita sighed, knowing it was still hard to talk about. "While Jeremie was doing research on the DTD and what it meant, that was also when we found out that X.A.N.A. had been recreated. It sent Jeremie into Lyoko and stole his own source codes first so we couldn't operate the terminal anymore to get out. When we went in to save him, X.A.N.A. and its monsters ambushed us and took our source codes as well with the Scyphozoa."

"Which explains why you and your friends are all stuck on Lyoko, despite the fact that we can come and go as we please," Maylin summarized. "Because all of your source codes are gone, and if you lose all your life points without them, that's game over for sure."

"And you say the source codes that X.A.N.A. stole are all inside the DTD?" Nick asked.

"Mostly," Aelita admitted. "We made backups of our source codes just in case something like this ever happened, but, like I said, we haven't been able to access them recently without the password to the DTD, since Jeremie's still lost somewhere in Lyoko."

"Um, speaking of password..." Haruka quipped.

"Oh, right, thanks for reminding me," Nick gasped as Aelita walked up to the main computer's console. "Aelita, there are actually three total passwords to access the DTD. Kuni-no-Sagiri, Ameno-Sagiri, and Kusumi-no-Okami."

Aelita nodded as she typed in the passwords, watching them appear on the screen, before pressing a large octagonal button. A loud beeping noise resounded from the console.

"Did that...?" Maylin asked.

"That did it! We're in!" Aelita exclaimed, only for alarms to start blaring around them.

"Oh, what _now?!_ " Nick shouted.

" _ATTENTION. ATTENTION. THE DTD WILL NOW SWITCH FROM HIBERNATION MODE TO ACTIVE MODE. THIS PROCESS WILL TAKE SOME TIME, SO PLEASE ENJOY A GAME WHILE THIS IS RUNNING."_

"Do we _seriously_ have to play a game now of all times?!" Maylin shouted as the trio summoned their keyblades.

"This is no game," Aelita proclaimed. "This must be the DTD's final security routine. Stay focused, everybody!"

The Heartless symbol appeared on the three monitors, and small hordes of Strafers and Magnum Loaders began to spawn in the room.

"Um, yeah, I don't think so," Nick quipped. "Girls, wanna go Master Form and waste this final security crap?"

"You _know_ it!" Maylin laughed.

Haruka shuffled over to latch on to Nick's left arm, and Maylin threw herself over to hug Nick's right side, causing the three of them to unite into Master Form, dual-wielding Spellbinder and Counterpoint.

"All right, let's fry the bugs!" Master Form Nick proclaimed, leaping up to cast Thundaga and easily destroy a large chunk of the Heartless around them. This time, however, when a Heartless was destroyed, small clusters fell from the remains and absorbed themselves into the keyblades.

After a few rounds of collecting clusters, one of the monitors began to flash. On instinct, Master Form Nick raised Spellbinder towards that monitor and used the clusters he'd collected to fire a stream of data into that monitor, causing the Heartless symbol on it to disappear.

"Oh, _that's_ how we do it!" Master Form Nick exclaimed as he ripped into another horde with a souped-up Blizzaga spell, firing off three large waves of ice crystals before cutting a backflip and firing off one last wave much more swiftly than the others.

Before long, Master Form Nick was able to freeze the other two monitors and stop the security routine, allowing Aelita to walk up to the main console and place her right hand on an interface panel, light flowing from the console into her body and, oddly, causing pink energy orbs to surround her hand and glowing pink wings to sprout from her back.

Aelita's expression brightened when this happened, and she couldn't help doing a fist pump into the air at this, something she'd picked up from Ulrich. "I'm as good as new!" Aelita exclaimed. "All of my functions and combat abilities have been restored!"

"Nice work, Aelita!" Master Form Nick, separating back into the trio.

"I was able to grab the backups of our source codes as well, so once I can find my friends, all I have to do is give them back and we can return to the real world, and hopefully find a way to stop X.A.N.A. for good this time!" Aelita proclaimed.

Another alarm bell began to blare, causing the group to tense up.

"Oh, for crying out loud, what is it _now_?!" Maylin exclaimed, only to squeak in fright when a lightning bolt surged down from above, just barely missing her and making her fall on her back. "Who did that?!"

" **AT LAST,"** the voice of X.A.N.A. resounded from all around. **"I FINALLY HAVE FULL ACESSS TO THE DTD. MY DOMINION OVER LYOKO IS NOW COMPLETE. I HAD ANTICIPATED THAT YOU WOULD KNOW THE PASSWORD, AELITA."**

"Damn you, X.A.N.A., was this your plan all along?!" Maylin shouted. "To make _us_ do your dirty work for you?!"

" **PRECISELY. IT IS SO MUCH EASIER TO MAKE OTHERS DO THE WORK YOU DO NOT WISH TO DO. OH? WHAT IS THIS? AN EMERGENCY SELF-DESTRUCT PROGRAM FOR THE TOWN? INTERESTING. LET US SEE HOW IT PERFORMS."**

"You wouldn't dare!" Nick exclaimed.

Aelita moved without thought, rushing back to the main console and placing her palm onto the interface panel she'd just used, causing light to flow from her hand into the console.

" **WHAT? CURSE YOU, AELITA!"**

"Wait, wait, what did you just do?" Haruka wondered.

"I changed the DTD password," Aelita replied. "That should buy us some time."

"Hopefully it'll be enough," Nick quipped. "We need to find and stop that self-destruct program before it gets out into the real world. We promised to protect the Blue Sky Kingdom no matter what!"

"Spoken like a true hero," Aelita proclaimed. "Let's get back to the Core Zone. It's most likely heading for the de-virtualizer station I set up for you."

And sure enough, a large machine could be seen gliding through the Core Zone when the group reached it. The machine had a smooth, oval-shaped and indigo-colored upper body lined with light grey and red computer circuitry. Nine red, conical spikes protruded from the upper body, and an opening on its front side revealed its three glowing yellow eyes, arranged in a triangle pattern. A stylized Eye of X.A.N.A. rested just underneath the three yellow eyes. The machine's lower body was small, predominantly silver, and lined with indigo and red circuitry, ending in four small, silver appendages.

The machine's arms were hovering at its side, detached from the main body, shaped like translucent, violet tubes with pink spikes on them, connected to grey "elbows" lined with indigo and red circuitry, and both its hands ended in three pink, squared-off fingers with black and red circuitry on them.

" **I'M DISAPPOINTED IN YOU, SCHAEFFER. DESPITE EVERYTHING, YOU STILL INSIST ON DRAGGING OTHERS INTO YOUR POINTLESS STRUGGLE,"** X.A.N.A. proclaimed as its self-destruct protocol, the Hostile Program, bared down on the group. **"YOU AND THOSE OTHER BRATS WERE THE ONLY ONES WHO KNEW OF LYOKO'S EXISTENCE, YET YOU CONTINUE TO MAKE MORE PEOPLE AWARE OF IT. WHY IS THAT?"**

"Because, X.A.N.A., someone has to be there to stop you," Aelita shot back. "I can trust them with the information because they're my friends. Something _you_ would never understand."

" **VERY WELL. BUT DO NOT THINK I WILL FALL AS EASILY AS I DID LAST TIME."**

"Here it comes!" Maylin shouted, raising Spellbinder as the Hostile Program charged straight for them and casting Reflect so that it bounced backwards.

The Hostile Program raised its arms and began to fire laser blasts towards its four attackers. Aelita simply dodged to the right before creating two Energy Fields in her hands, then throwing them baseball-style for the Eye of X.A.N.A. on the Hostile Program's chest, hitting bull's-eyes on both shots and driving the Hostile Program back, clusters falling from its chassis as this happened.

"Yeah, suck on that, you TRON ripoff!" Maylin shouted, firing a Thunder spell into the Eye of X.A.N.A. and causing the Hostile Program to emit a loud, keening electronic wail as it raised its hands and caused walls to erupt from the floor all around, barricading the group in the immediate area.

"Okay, _that's_ just not nice!" Haruka proclaimed, jumping backwards to kick off of one of the walls and throw herself straight at the Hostile Program, driving Divine Rose into its face and giving Nick and Maylin the opening they needed to unite into Wisdom Form and begin battering the Hostile Program with powerful spells.

As Wisdom Form Nick continued to glide around the arena and continue to cast spells, Aelita decided to make herself useful and activated her wings to fly over the battlefield, as it appeared the Hostile Program couldn't fly up to reach her. However, the Hostile Program aimed one of its hands for Aelita and fired a large laser beam towards her that was easily dodged.

After a few seconds of strategizing, Aelita settled on a plan and floated to the right, raising her right hand. Streams of data converged around her hand until it eventually formed into, to the surprise of the trio, a _keyblade_. This keyblade resembled a heavily pixelated version of the Kingdom Key, with a yellow guard with lime-green accents, a silver blade, and neon pink patterns decorating most of the weapon. Its token was a small replica of the supercomputer, and the keychain was made of multiple Eyes.

"Wait, did she just...?!" Wisdom Form Nick shouted.

After dodging another laser attack, Aelita dove downwards, her wings carrying her as she slashed Zero/One at the Hostile Program's face, carving a deep gouge into its Eye of X.A.N.A. in the process. This didn't sit well with the Hostile Program, as it began to charge all around the arena in a circular motion.

"We need to get this thing to stop moving!" Haruka exclaimed as she, Aelita, and Wisdom Form Nick all converged at the center of the arena, as the Hostile Program was only charging around the outer edges.

Wisdom Form Nick glanced at his keyblades, noticing that he'd absorbed more clusters from hitting the Hostile Program, just like he'd done to freeze the monitors in the Dataspace.

"I think I've got it," Wisdom Form Nick stated, raising Spellbinder and firing off a stream of data just as the Hostile Program neared them, the stream absorbing itself into the chassis and completely immobilizing the Hostile Program in its tracks.

"There's our chance! Pour it on, everybody!" Haruka shouted, slamming Divine Rose to the ground and unleashing a Tremor on the Hostile Program while Aelita continually threw Energy Fields into the Eye of X.A.N.A., all while Wisdom Form Nick charged his power for the finisher.

After a few more seconds of this, the Hostile Program regained mobility, but collapsed to the ground due to all the damage it had taken.

"Nick! Finish it off!" Haruka shouted.

"Already on it," Wisdom Form Nick proclaimed, raising both Spellbinder and Fairy Stars above him.

" _O power that lies at the root of all creation..."_ Wisdom Form Nick chanted, five large energy orbs, one pink, one blue, one red, one green, and one silver, appearing around him, each one embedded with the elemental symbol of the Guardian it represented.

" _O memory inscribed in ages past..."_ Wisdom Form Nick proclaimed, the orbs flying over to the Hostile Program and spiraling around it. _"Hear my call and arise before me!"_

The Hostile Program attempted to raise its arm for one last laser attack, but Aelita threw another Energy Field into it to stun it.

" _ANCIENT CATASTROPHE!"_ Wisdom Form Nick shouted, and the five energy orbs joined into one giant ball of elemental chaos that surrounded the Hostile Program and exploded with all the force of a supernova, causing the Hostile Program to seize up and eventually disintegrate into ones and zeroes that fell to the arena floor and shattered.

Once the Hostile Program had vanished, the barricade walls also shattered into glowing polygons, allowing the group to finish their trip back to the Arena.

"Aelita, holy _crap_ , where did you get a _keyblade_?!" Maylin exclaimed after she and Nick had separated.

"I used some of the data from the DTD to craft one for me to use," Aelita admitted, handing off Zero/One to Nick. "I know it's not technically real like yours are, but it should serve you well."

"Say, Aelita?" Nick asked. "Do you know who exactly recreated Lyoko, if the original version was wiped when you shut down the old supercomputer and destroyed X.A.N.A. the first time?"

"I have no clue, to be honest," Aelita admitted. "And that's what worries me. If whoever recreated Lyoko was also the one who revived or recreated X.A.N.A., then they're our enemy as well. X.A.N.A. is far too much of a threat to be allowed to wreak havoc on both the digital and real worlds. That's why all of us decided to be the ones to stop him, since no one else knew of X.A.N.A.'s existence."

"Sounds like you all have your work cut out for you," Haruka quipped.

"Well, we do what we can," Aelita stated. "X.A.N.A. lost before because he underestimated humanity's potential, and that's how we'll beat him again."

"Damn right!" Maylin proclaimed.

"Now, you all should get back to the real world before X.A.N.A. starts causing trouble again," Aelita stated. "Any of the data on the supercomputer or the DTD that you need can be accessed directly from the terminal. I'll keep a dedicated access channel open for you. And I changed the DTD password, so you won't have to worry about X.A.N.A. getting into it."

"Wait, access channel?" Nick asked. "Not exactly a computer nerd here..."

In response, Aelita just giggled. "I figured you'd ask. It's a very important link between our worlds. It's just one of many ways we can stay connected."

Aelita smiled at her friends as they walked onto the glowing circle to return to the Blue Sky Kingdom.

"You... my friends... are the new password," Aelita proclaimed as the trio disappeared from sight. Her work complete for now, Aelita retreated back to the Core Zone so she could find the hangar. After all, she had something to give back to her other friends.

* * *

"Mission accomplished, everybody," Nick stated once the three of them emerged from the scanners, much to Sissi's relief. "We have full access to the DTD!"

"Okay, then what do we do now?" Cure Fortune asked. "Should we look for info on the Organization?"

"Well, that _is_ what we found the supercomputer to do, right?" Haruka teased, to which Marie just laughed.

Cure Fortune nodded and moved to sit down at the computer terminal, relieving Sissi of her duty for the moment. "Hey, it's asking for a password," Cure Fortune quipped.

"You're lookin' at it," Maylin proclaimed.

Nodding in understanding, Cure Fortune typed their names into the computer. "Queen Elyon is checking out the situation in town," Cure Fortune proclaimed, answering the question that Maylin had wanted to ask. "She'll be back soon, so don't worry, all right? Matter of fact, I should probably get back to town, too. I need to see what that last shakeup did."

That said, Cure Fortune swiftly made her exit while Nick sat down at the terminal to see if he could figure this terminal thing out.

"Hey, it's asking us something," Nick stated.

"I think the supercomputer wants to know what _we_ want to know," Haruka replied.

"Okay, let's see if it can tell us about the Organization," Nick quipped, entering 'Organization XIII' into the search bar and waiting as the terminal searched for any available data.

After about five seconds of searching, a picture popped up on the computer screen, showing a group photo of thirteen people completely covered by black hoods.

"That's them, all right," Maylin quipped. "Can it tell us _anything_ else?"

Nick glanced through the data until he found a passage that seemed interesting. "Hmmm... what's _this_ , now?" Nick stated as he read the passage.

 _Organization XIII was formed by a group of researchers working under Ansem the Wise, the ruler of Radiant Garden, within his castle of Hollow Bastion. The head of this group was Ansem's apprentice, Xehanort, with the other members being Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, and Ienzo. Ansem the Wise began initiating tests about the human heart, focusing mainly on Xehanort, with the hopes of recovering his lost memories. At the urging of Ienzo, he constructed a massive laboratory underneath the castle. However, Ansem the Wise soon ceased his experiments, for he feared that going too deep would have grave repercussions, also noting Xehanort's apparently-superhuman abilities._

Maylin and Haruka thought deeply while Nick was reading. After all, they'd never even _heard_ of a world called Radiant Garden. And why exactly did the mere mention of the name "Xehanort" send shivers through their body? Maylin instinctively reached out to hold Haruka's hand as Nick continued to read.

 _However, his six apprentices, still seduced by the desire for knowledge, conducted their own dangerous experiments on countless subjects. Eventually, they discovered the beings called Heartless, those that are born from the darkness in people's hearts, and seek others as well. Xehanort, having taken on Ansem's name and writing his findings under it, opened a door he discovered, breaking down the barriers between worlds and allowing travel between them. When a king named Mickey arrived, the six men's desire for knowledge eventually caused Xehanort to abandon his body and become a Heartless, though he was unusual in that he had a human form and retained his memories, with the other five soon following. Thus, the first six members of Organization XIII were born, and they banished Ansem to the Realm of Darkness._

"That's... that's _nuts_ ," Marie stated. "Sounds like their desire for more knowledge dragged them into the darkness."

Just then, Nick realized something. "Wait, wait, hold on just a minute here!" Nick exclaimed. "Both Himerish and Lily told us that Organization XIII comes from the future, right? So, if they're from the future, they shouldn't even be anywhere in this database!"

"Hey, you're right!" Maylin gasped.

"This puzzle just keeps getting stranger and stranger, doesn't it?" Haruka replied. "We have a lot of pieces, but apparently some of them don't fit together. Either that, or we're trying to fit the wrong pieces."

"I'm still willing to bet that our Mysterious Figure is behind that somehow," Maylin noted. "Maybe she brought them with her when she jumped back because she knew Lily was going back herself."

A colossal tremor shook the entire area, almost knocking the entire group off of their feet.

"What the _hell_ was that?!" Maylin shouted.

"Sounds like we've got trouble," Nick proclaimed. "Sissi, stay here and keep an eye on Lyoko. If you seal the door, you should be safe."

"Right," Sissi replied. "I'm not a fighter like my friends. I'm more of a support."

"We're gonna go check out that quake," Haruka stated.

With that, the four keyblade wielders raced out of the supercomputer room into the corridors, where they were met with an interesting sight. A group of Heartless, mostly a few Crimson Jazz and some Nightwalkers, were fighting a group of Nobodies consisting of some Dusks, a bunch of Creepers, and a new type of Nobody that was more brightly colored and feminine in appearance than other Nobodies. They resembled dancers wearing beanies and sporting an eerie, permanently sewn-shut grin.

A few feet away, both Red and his lieutenant Black Fang were watching the battle quite closely.

"Hear me, Heartless! Attack and sweep away the white husks!" Red proclaimed.

"What, are you crazy?!" Black Fang shot back. "There's no way we're going to win this one."

"Are you seriously turning into a coward _now_ of all times?" Red growled.

"Not turning tail, just re-strategizing," Black Fang admitted. "After all, we _do_ have our other problem to deal with, right?"

"True," Red stated as Black Fang flipped his cape to vanish in a flash of darkness. Red did the same after noticing Nick, Maylin, Haruka and Marie turning a nearby corner. "Heartless, leave the white ones for now. Destroy the keyblade brats!"

"Oh, crap, this isn't good," Haruka groaned. "We've never had to fight Heartless _and_ Nobodies in the same battle, did we?"

"Well, I don't think we'll need to worry about that, because I think it's time to summon one of our buddies," Nick quipped, bringing out the Gravity Charm.

"Ooh, nice choice!" Maylin giggled. "I really like her power! Why can't _that_ be a spell I can learn?!"

"I'm sure you'll learn it soon enough, Maylin," Haruka laughed as Nick raised the Gravity Charm, causing both Maylin and Haruka to vanish.

 **("The Day" by Porno Graffiti plays)**

Ripples of pink light surrounded the Gravity Charm as Nick raised Oathkeeper towards it. The ripples were drawn into the jewel at the center of the charm, and Nick waved Oathkeeper before touching its teeth to the charm. Waves of light exploded outwards from the charm, eventually forming into the figure of Ochako, who was already high-fiving Nick before charging towards the horde of enemies, Nick not far behind.

One of the Nightwalkers lunged for Ochako, but she merely thrust her palms forward to touch the Nightwalker, and this simple motion caused the Nightwalker to start floating around helplessly.

Not one to waste his chance, Nick went to attack the drifting Nightwalker a few times, doing much more damage than usual, most likely due to Ochako's zero-gravity touch.

When the drift effect ended, the Nightwalker stumbled before moving to attack, though it actually attacked one of its fellow Nightwalkers.

Nick was about to turn around and assist Ochako when one of the Dancers reached out to grab him by the neck, twirling him around for a few seconds before throwing him straight into a nearby wall.

"Nick!" Marie exclaimed, swinging Rainfell and blasting the Dancer with a Watera spell before slashing at it, splitting the Dancer in half and vaporizing it. "You okay, big bro?"

"Yeah, just... was _not_ expecting that," Nick groaned before peeling himself out of the wall and moving to attack the approaching Crimson Jazz.

Even as the Crimson Jazz began to fire concussive bursts of fire for Nick, Ochako thrust her palms upward and unleashing a gravity wave from her hands that struck the Crimson Jazz and sent it crashing down to the ground, only to start drifting upon contact, where it were easily eliminated by Nick.

Ochako turned around and flashed a cute grin before raising her hand to Nick, who figured out her intent and gave her a high-five, causing him to start floating upwards. Ochako wasted no time clapping her hands together and causing herself to start floating to meet Nick in the air.

Ochako pressed her hands together, a purple sphere of light surrounding them. "DRIFT!" Ochako exclaimed, aiming her hands downwards, towards the horde of Heartless and Nobodies, and unleashing a gigantic gravity field that caused the entire horde to start floating helplessly towards them.

Ochako grinned to Nick, floating over to just behind him, and pushing him downwards so he could swing the and spike the drifting horde down to the ground, destroying them all in a great flash of light.

Nick landed gracefully on the ground, Ochako not too far behind him, turning around to high-five Ochako before she returned to the Gravity Charm.

"And another horde defeated," Haruka quipped once she and Maylin had returned.

"I _really_ don't like those Dancers," Nick growled. "That throw _HURT._ "

"Hey, I think I found another summon charm," Maylin stated, pointing to a spot on the floor where, indeed, a charm was resting. Nick picked it up, noticing that it was decorated with the symbols of the three girls that had inadvertently gotten them sucked into Lyoko in the first place; an orange swirl, a blue sphere with a silver S through it, and a controller-shaped hairclip.

"Who would just leave a summon charm lying around?" Maylin quipped. "That just seems stupid."

Nick would have responded if he hadn't noticed those three angel fairies flying down one of the corridors.

"Hey, where'd Red slink off to?" Kurumi wondered.

"I guess he ran off," Haruka answered. "They probably had other evil things to do."

"Welp, that was pretty freakin' lame of him," Karinka proclaimed.

"I guess that means we picked the wrong side after all," Saki admitted.

When the three fairies started babbling to themselves, Nick decided to cut in before things got out of hand. "Um... if you're looking for a side to pick, why not go with the Pretty Cures?" Nick asked. "They could always use more help, after all."

"Do these Pretty Cures have... say, lots of treasure?" Kurumi asked.

"Yep, lots of stuff!" Maylin immediately replied.

"Awesome!" Karinka exclaimed.

"Well, let's head off, then," Saiki stated.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking..." Marie started. "Who exactly _are_ you three?"

"Oh, we're really nothing worth mentioning," Kurumi giggled.

"Just a trio of treasure fanatics," Saki stated.

"On that note... later, taters!" Karinka proclaimed, and all three fairies vanished in a burst of light.

Nick just stared at the spot where they'd been, wondering about something. "Do the Pretty Cures... actually _have_ any treasure?" Nick asked nobody in particular, not noticing Maylin's mischievous smile.

Despite this, the four keyblade wielders quickly regrouped and raced back out to the Postern, only for Marie to stiffen up and nearly fall flat on her face mid-run.

"Whoa, sis, you okay?" Nick asked as he doubled back to help Marie back to her feet.

"Yeah, I just... felt another flare of darkness," Marie answered.

"Then that means trouble is nearby," Nick quipped.

Nick had no idea how right he was.

After climbing up the ramp and the stairs to the main postern area, Nick skidded to a stop when he saw who was waiting for them this time.

"What... the _hell_... are _you_ doing back here?!" Nick growled.

The Omen simply grinned wickedly, despite its lack of any real face. "Hmph. I simply figured I'd check in on you. See how you're doing."

"After everything you've pulled on us, what makes you think I'm in _any mood_ for your bullshit?!" Nick shouted back.

The Omen simply summoned its black Kingdom Key to its hands. "Because I know. Even despite your sibling's miraculous return, you're still worried that you'll lose her again."

Nick simply summoned Psychic Punch to his hands, ready for a fight. "Sorry, but I told you before, your tricks won't work on me anymore," Nick growled.

"Very well, then," the Omen proclaimed. "I guess it's time for the final act."

The Omen, to Nick's surprise, smiled even wider before turning into dark mist and flying forward at lightning speeds to absorb itself into Nick's body.

Nick tried to fight off the Omen's control, but soon felt his mind shutting down, being overwhelmed by the darkness that the Omen controlled.

However, a few seconds later, Nick was able to reopen his eyes, only to find himself standing on a large stained glass platform in the middle of a gigantic void of nothingness. Imprinted on the platform was an image of himself and Marie, both holding their keyblades which crossed over each other, and the symbols of the five Guardians of the Veil along the outer rim.

"Okay, I'm confused. Why exactly am I in my Dive to the Heart?" Nick wondered, summoning the Kingdom Key to his hands, just in case.

"Because I dragged you here. Simple, really."

Nick turned around to see the Omen on the other side of the platform, though she had changed her appearance. Though she was still wearing her black coat with the magenta flame designs on the sleeves and coattails, her hood was down, and she had again taken on Marie's face, only with silver eyes and a red symbol in her left eye, much like Kusumi-no-Okami had, and she was now wielding a brand new keyblade.

This keyblade's teeth and head were black with a red outline and possessed a round, cog-like shape. The guard has the same color and cog-like shape as the teeth. The shaft was predominantly colored in shades of grey and sported a copper-colored gear in the center with two intersecting black chains wrapped around it. Two more chains were wrapped around the base of the shaft in a similar fashion. The keyblade also had two of the Master's Gazing Eye, one located in the head of the blade and one embedded in the hilt. The keychain was comprised of three small, copper gears and ended in a charm resembling two halves of a gear arranged in an S-shape.

"It's time to end this," the Omen proclaimed, raising Void Gear into a battle stance. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"You didn't warn me of _anything_ ," Nick shot back. "All you've _ever_ done is try to play psychotic mind games with me, try to get me to succumb to the darkness, and play on my insecurities!"

Nick raised the Kingdom Key, pointing it straight for the Omen. "And the worst thing is, you tried to tarnish the memory of my sister by taking her appearance for your sick games. I can forgive everything you've ever done to me, _but not that_."

Not in the mood to hear any more from the Omen, Nick raised Psychic Punch and rushed in to attack, though each strike was countered by a swing from Void Gear. Nick leaped backwards to fire off a Thunder spell, but the Omen sliced through the blast and made her way closer to Nick.

"Now, show me your anguish!" the Omen shouted, raising Void Gear and charging up, the demonic keyblade surrounded by dark energy.

Nick readied himself, but the Omen was surprisingly fast, lunging straight for Nick with a horizontal slash from Void Gear, a spiral of darkness surrounding her as she lunged. Nick rolled to the side to avoid the lunge, but the Omen continued by leaping into the air and slashing diagonally, creating a cross-shaped wave of dark energy across the ground at the point of impact, forcing Nick to quickly dodge to the left even as the Omen lunged again.

After all of this, the Omen leaped backwards, swinging Void Gear twice and creating an X-shaped blast that rocketed towards Nick. Nick cast Reflect to defend himself, then quickly moved in to attack the Omen just as she landed, getting three quick hits in before blasting her back with a Ripple Drive.

"Is that all you've got?!" Nick shouted.

The Omen simply smirked before vanishing. Nick extended his senses to find her, only for the Omen to reappear right behind him, aiming Void Gear for his neck. Nick juked to the side to avoid it, only for the Omen to disappear and reappear again from a different angle. Nick swung Psychic Punch out to block the attacks that he could and dodge away from the ones he couldn't.

After about eight or nine teleports, the Omen leaped away from Nick, but stayed in the air mid-leap, Void Gear pulsing ominously.

"Darkness awaits!" the Omen shouted, ripping through the air so quickly that Nick didn't have time to defend himself and was thrown back even as the Omen turned around to repeat the attack at least three more times.

Nick stumbled for a second before casting Curaga to get himself back into fighting shape.

"That was dirty," Nick growled.

"Who ever accused _me_ of playing fair?" the Omen laughed.

"I'm only going to ask you this once," Nick proclaimed, raising Psychic Punch threateningly. _"Who sent you here?!"_

In response, the Omen just smiled, that creepy blood-red grin unnerving Nick. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough. I guarantee that. That is, unless you're _dead_ in the next few minutes, which I fully intend to carry out right here."

"We'll see about that," Nick shot back. "If you know me as well as you claim to, you'd know that I'm extremely stubborn about living."

"We'll see how long that stubbornness lasts when I've impaled you on the teeth of my blade!" the Omen shouted, actually losing her composure for once. "Now prepare to face oblivion!"

The Omen raised Void Gear, then began to dash around Nick, creating a circle of dark crystal spikes around him as she did so. Nick counted to three in his head, then leaped just as the crystal spikes all converged on where he had been a second ago.

 _Nice try,_ Nick thought, only to be juggled through the air by the Omen performing her Dark Splicer teleporting attack.

"Look who's getting all cocky now!" the Omen growled. "You should have thought twice before challenging me!"

"You're the one who locked me in my own heart, you freak!" Nick shot back, raising Psychic Punch to parry another teleporting strike so he could return to the ground. "Stop being such a hypocrite!"

The Omen simply huffed in response before encasing herself in a cocoon of darkness and sending out multiple shadowy afterimages of herself to slash at Nick one by one. Nick continually dodged through each afterimage's attack until the Omen emerged from her cocoon, taking advantage of her moment of recovery to wail on her with Ars Arcanum.

"Now _get out of my heart!_ " Nick shouted, landing the final blow of Ars Arcanum and driving the Omen to the ground.

To Nick's annoyance, the Omen just began laughing, that sinister cackle that drove Nick up the wall.

"Very well," the Omen stated. "Playtime is _over_!"

The Omen leaped into the air, Void Gear glowing with an ominous dark sheen, before coming down and slamming her keyblade down on the dead center of the Station of Awakening, causing shockwaves of darkness to ripple out from the point of impact and creating large cracks in the platform.

Nick had to shield his eyes as light erupted from the cracks and eventually completely shattered the Station of Awakening, reducing it to kaleidoscopic shards of light floating in the dark void.

"What... what did you _do_?!" Nick growled, noticing that he was floating as well.

The Omen simply ignored him, raising Void Gear and focusing on Nick while charging up for a powerful attack.

 _All right, what do I do here?_ Nick thought. He figured he had at least a few seconds, since the Omen had to charge her attack.

Suddenly, Nick felt an odd flare of darkness welling up within him. _Wait, what the hell?_ Nick thought, quickly realizing that this new darkness felt exactly the same as the Omen's darkness.

 _Hmmm... I wonder..._

Knowing he only had a short time to do this, Nick raised Psychic Punch to aim at the Omen, feeling dark energy charge up within his own body.

Much like the Omen was doing.

After the charge up period, the Omen spun Void Gear, shouting "What's yours is mine!" before firing a large dark beam from Void Gear's teeth. Nick retaliated by unleashing his own beam, a golden beam of light, and the two beams met in the middle, trying to overcome each other.

Nick continued to push back until his beam broke through the Omen's beam, slamming into her and sending her spiraling through the mostly-empty air.

 _Hey, I think that's it!_ Nick thought. _She linked with my heart when she brought me here, so that must mean I have her abilities as well now! Which means, I've gotta predict what she's gonna do and then use that same attack against her._

The Omen quickly recovered and attacked with Dark Spiral, her darkness-powered dash attack, but Nick did the same thing, the two keyblade wielders ping-ponging off of each other multiple times until Nick was able to move just a little faster, throwing the Omen off balance and allowing Nick to spike her downward.

After recovering, the Omen tried again, this time with Dark Splicer, her teleporting afterimage attack, but Nick once again did the same attack, both of them teleporting around each other hoping to get a good attack in. The barrage finally ended when Nick teleported to above the Omen, where she couldn't retaliate in time, and slammed Psychic Punch into her head, sending her flying back down to whatever was currently the ground in this strange setting.

At that moment, Nick felt a surge of power throughout his entire body, overwhelming the darkness of his forced link with the Omen.

"You're done," Nick proclaimed. "I warned you to get out of my heart, and now you're going to pay the price! Now! _Last Word!_ "

Nick channeled this new power, causing his body to glow with a golden light, before rushing the Omen with multiple high-speed attacks until the Omen was pinned to her spot by five crystallized pillars of light piercing through her body.

For the final blow, Nick leaped backwards, then lunged with all the speed of lightning, driving Psychic Punch into the Omen's body and shattering the crystals, shredding the Omen's body with shards of light until she was nothing but a small wisp of darkness. Nick quickly put an end to that by slashing through the wisp, disintegrating it and finally destroying the Omen once and for all.

With the Omen gone, Nick's Station of Awakening reformed itself into the platform it had been mere moments earlier, and a bright light shone down onto the platform, no doubt the way back.

Nick let Psychic Punch vanish as he walked into the column of light, said light blinding him again for a few short seconds, and when he could finally see again, he was back in the Blue Sky Kingdom's Castle Postern, gazing at a very confused Maylin.

"What?" Nick asked. "Is there something on my face?"

" _What just happened, you doof?!"_ Maylin exclaimed. "Why did that Omen thing possess you?!"

"Hell if I know," Nick quipped, shrugging in confusion. "But let's just say that she's not gonna be a problem any longer."

"Wait, you beat the Omen?!" Haruka exclaimed. "What exactly was going on? When she bodyjacked you, you started attacking us!"

"Hold on, I did _what?!_ " Nick shouted, only to calm down when Marie walked up and kissed him on the cheek.

"You didn't hurt us, Nick, don't worry," Marie stated. "I think she was trying to take control of your body, but based on the fact that you're here with us right now, it didn't work out for her."

"One dark specter shredded," Nick quipped. "Now that _that's_ taken care of, we should probably get a move on before things get much worse."

"Queen Elyon said she was headed to the Bailey," Marie stated, remembering what Elyon had said to her before heading off. "Sounds like that's where we need to go."

"Well, Key Squad, let's move out!" Maylin proclaimed.

No one said anything.

"Was that... a little too much?" Maylin giggled, playfully tapping her head.

"And she gets on me for _my_ sucky one-liners..." Nick groaned as the group exited the postern, crossed through the Restoration Site, and back to the Bailey, only to find that part of the nearby structure had been demolished, most likely by a Heartless attack, revealing a long, winding path towards the vistas in the distance.

And what Nick saw down in those vistas shocked him to the core. What must have been thousands upon thousands of Heartless were storming the cliffs, all marching towards some unknown objective.

* * *

Somewhere in the canyon, Tsumugi was aiming a bunch of flying kicks to destroy Armored Knights and Surveillance Robots alike, only to fall back down on her rump, obviously exhausted from all the fighting. Her fairy partner Feng quickly circled around her, dropping glowing sparkles on her body to heal her up.

"Thanks, Feng," Tsumugi gasped.

"No prob! Now let's get 'em!" Feng proclaimed as Tsumugi charged back into the fray, knocking Heartless away left and right.

* * *

 **("Sehagaga Ganbacchau!" by MAO, Minami Takahashi & Shiori Izawa plays)**

"Behind you, Dreamcast!" Saturn shouted, swinging her staves to fend off a bunch of Nightwalkers even as a Darkside slowly marched towards where Dreamcast was fighting off her own horde of Heartless.

Just as the Darkside attempted to strike at Dreamcast, Mega Drive opened her tome and cast a powerful ice spell, freezing the Darkside's legs and causing it to collapse.

"Thanks, Mega Drive! It's all mine now!" Dreamcast proclaimed, swinging her Dream Blade like wildfire and unleashing many, _many_ blades of orange energy with each swing to cut into the Darkside's head, ending with one final dashing slash and flourish that beheaded the Darkside, its body fading away.

"YES!" Dreamcast laughed, only to find herself surrounded by a bunch of Wyverns. "Oh, crap."

"This one's mine!" Saturn exclaimed, raising both of her staves and shooting a large fireball into the air, which expanded into a gigantic glyph that rained down laser blasts onto the Wyverns, destroying them effortlessly.

A Dustflier soared down from the skies, intent on eliminating the Sega Hard Girls, but Mega Drive was ready, opening her tome and encasing the Dustflier in a large, aquatic blue energy cube. Raising her hand, then snapping it down, Mega Drive cast another cube spell, the two cubes overlapping around the Dustflier before they both shattered, destroying the Dustflier easily.

However, another Darkside appeared before them, roaring loudly. The three Sega Hard Girls grouped together before charging the Darkside.

* * *

"Back off, knight boy! I'm not your girl!" Karinka exclaimed, ducking and weaving through the attacks of an Armored Knight. Sometimes she cursed the fact that she was so tiny.

After another swipe, Karinka bounced off of its head, dizzying it long enough for Kurumi and Saki to come in with a double flying kick that knocked the Armored Knight off the edge of the cliff.

"Oh, yeah, we bad!" Karinka proclaimed.

"Um, Karinka, _we_ were the ones who knocked it off," Kurumi quipped, to which Saki just giggled.

"Come on, just let me have my fun for once!" Karinka growled, only to notice a pack of Nightwalkers approaching them.

"RUN!" Kurumi shouted, and the three fairies flew off.

* * *

Cure Peach and Cure Passion stood back-to-back as Heartless surrounded them, consisting of Nightwalkers, Fortunetellers, and Lance Soldiers.

"Setsuna?" Cure Peach asked, drawing the Peach Rod. "You think you can handle this many Heartless?"

"Well... it _might_ be tough if one more shows up," Cure Passion teased, strumming on the Passion Harp.

"Then that's the one _I'll_ defeat!" Cure Peach proclaimed.

"Oh, you're fighting, too, Love?" Cure Passion giggled.

With that, the two Pretty Cures leaped towards the horde, swinging their weapons to destroy the Heartless they encountered.

" _Soar, melody of love! Cure Stick, Peach Rod!"_ Cure Peach shouted, aiming her Peach Rod for a group of approaching Lance Soldiers. _"Nasty things, nasty things, fly away now! Pretty Cure Love Sunshine Fresh!"_

As a Lance Soldier lunged, Cure Peach fired off a massive energy heart that shredded through the horde's ranks.

Meanwhile, Cure Passion faced down the Nightwalkers, still strumming a melody on her harp. _"Sing, rhapsody of happiness! Passion Harp!"_

The last Lance Soldier attempted a sneak attack from behind, but Cure Peach kicked it away before hopping back to let Cure Passion finish her attack.

" _Rage, storm of happiness! Pretty Cure Happiness Hurricane!"_ Cure Passion proclaimed, spinning around like a whirling dervish, a storm of angel feathers and energy hearts spiraling around her that instantly destroyed any Heartless who dared to get close.

Another Nightwalker bounced through the air, attempting to take advantage of Cure Passion's vulnerability, but it was quickly destroyed by a dark energy blade.

Cure Passion spun around and noticed that Eas was standing there, a seemingly serene expression on her face even as many Heartless evaporated around her.

"So, Passion, I understand that you've been looking for me," Eas proclaimed.

"Exactly," Cure Passion responded, readying her Passion Harp for battle. "Once I get rid of you, I can finally put my past where it belongs."

Eas, in response, just laughed, as if the very thought was amusing. "Can you even do it?" Eas taunted. "That darkness comes from your own dark memories. Do you _honestly_ think you can erase the past?"

"Shut your mouth!" Cure Passion growled, even as Cure Peach walked up to support her.

"Face it, you know you can never get rid of me," Eas stated. "I am _your_ darkness, after all. I am the person that you _truly_ are."

"How about you just shut up?!" Cure Peach exclaimed, aiming the Peach Rod for Eas' face. "Setsuna is _nothing_ like you! She may have been you once, but she saw the light and became a good person! Sometimes, the past just needs to _stay_ buried!"

"Believe what you will," Eas laughed. "You will see the truth eventually."

Before Cure Passion could attack, Eas surrounded herself with darkness and vanished completely.

"You okay, Setsuna?" Cure Peach asked, only for Cure Passion to turn around and hug her tightly.

* * *

"All right, everybody, we're on our way," Nick proclaimed.

The group hadn't taken two steps before Elyon dropped out of the sky, spreading her arms as if to block them off.

"You guys need to beat it," Elyon proclaimed. "We can handle this fight."

"But, Your Majesty, the Pretty Cures are _our_ friends, too!" Maylin exclaimed. "We're not gonna just abandon them in their time of need!"

"Don't worry about us," Elyon stated. "There's lots of help here. We'll take care of this fight."

"But... I promised them..." Nick sighed. "Your Majesty, you _know_ that I never break my promises! And there's no way in _hell_ that I'm going to break this one!"

His mind made up, Nick summoned the Kingdom Key and dashed forward, leaping over Elyon in the process.

Maylin and Haruka weren't far behind, their keyblades already summoned. "Sorry, Your Majesty! Nick's my best buddy, and wherever he goes, I go!" Maylin proclaimed.

"I've never once abandoned a comrade in need," Haruka stated. "What kind of friend would I be if I did that now?"

Marie just bowed in apology to Elyon before racing off to join the others.

Elyon couldn't help but smile at the exchange. _I guess some things will never change, huh?_ Elyon thought.

* * *

Eventually, the quartet reached the Castle Gate, a large and open area surrounded by four pillars.

A lone figure in a brown hood with rune-shaped patterns all over it was standing at the center of the area, holding the No Name keyblade tightly.

"You again," Maylin growled, holding Spellbinder up. "How many times are you going to antagonize us before you get the hint?!"

"Hmph. I already told you why I'm here," the Mysterious Figure proclaimed. "I figured you would have realized it by now."

Nick just stood there, not sure if he should go into a fighting stance or not. Something about the Mysterious Figure's voice was starting to sound really familiar to him.

 _But why now, after all this, does that strange feeling of familiarity start popping up to me?_ Nick thought. It seemed the Mysterious Figure could understand what Nick was thinking, as she began walking towards the group.

"Ah, I see you've realized it, haven't you?" the Mysterious Figure stated. "That something about me seems familiar?"

"I'm not going to ask you again, freak show," Maylin proclaimed. _"Who the hell are you?!"_

The Mysterious Figure chuckled softly, a hand reaching for her hood. "I guess you deserve that, at least, for making it this far," the Mysterious Figure conceded, letting No Name vanish before grasping her hood and pulling it down to finally reveal her face.

Nick just stood there, staring at the Mysterious Figure with wide eyes and an open mouth. There was no way this could be real.

...right?

Maylin, Haruka, and Marie also held similar shocked expressions, all of them wondering what exactly was happening.

The Mysterious Figure had long, chest-length blonde hair with brown tips, and brown eyes lined by a shade of silver.

Just like...

Nick was the first to make the connection, still not wanting to believe that this was real.

"L-L... Lily?" Nick gasped.

The older Lily nodded. "Precisely. But... I am not the same Lily that's been helping you out."

"Then... what exactly is your deal?!" Maylin growled.

"Hmmmm... I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you, now that I've revealed myself," Future Lily replied before walking around the Castle Gate.

"I come from a _much_ different universe than yours," Future Lily explained. "In my universe, the path of the keyblade took a very different turn. In _my_ universe, my family... my friends... they're all _dead_. When the Heartless overran my world, I lost _everything_. I had nothing left. Nothing but a burning desire for vengeance, a desire to erase all of it so that it never happened."

Future Lily glanced up at the early evening sky. "Then... I met someone. As I have said, my keyblade is the most ancient keyblade in all of recorded history, passed down through the generations. Its current wielder in my universe, a man named Xehanort, saw the potential I possessed and allowed me to wield his keyblade in my own efforts. And this keyblade granted me great and incredible power."

Nick tensed up, remembering something about Organization XIII that he'd read after accessing the DTD earlier.

" _The head of this group was Ansem's apprentice, Xehanort"_

"So... this Xehanort... he's from your dimension?" Nick asked. "Is that where Organization XIII came from, too?!"

"Right on both counts," Future Lily proclaimed. "However, I soon realized that there was nothing left for me in my world, destroyed as it was. I was at a loss for how to actually use my new power, when I happened upon another keyblade wielder who had apparently crossed between dimensions. And that's when it hit me. I knew that I would have to start in the dimension he'd found, the one we're all standing in right now."

Future Lily smiled eerily, nothing like the Lily that Nick had come to know. "In Xehanort's dimension, time travel is only possible by a very convoluted set of rules. How very fortunate for me that time travel is _not_ so complicated where I came from. I simply moved my way through time, rescuing the entirety of Organization XIII from their fates, as that brat Sora had already eliminated them all, then brought them to the future of your timeline in hopes of testing their usefulness to my plans. Lo and behold, they were _marvelous_. Then, when I heard my younger self from your future was jumping back through time to fight them, I simply brought them back here to follow. Sadly, I used up all of my time-traveling powers in doing so, but it doesn't matter at this point."

"So _that's_ what you meant by erasing everything," Haruka stated.

"Exactly," Future Lily proclaimed. "I will _not_ allow my tragedy to happen again, no matter what I have to erase to do so. It doesn't matter if it's a _different goddamn dimension_ , as long as there's any chance of history repeating itself, _I will not allow it_. And if I have to erase _everything_ to prevent it, then so be it. If I can't be happy, then _no one_ deserves to be happy."

Nick slowly raised his hand, summoning Oathkeeper and looking up at Future Lily, his expression hardening. "And you call yourself my daughter."

"Oh?" Future Lily asked.

"If you really _were_ my daughter, you wouldn't have given up so easily," Nick stated. "It sounds like you just _dived_ into the darkness without even _trying_ to bounce back from it!"

"For that matter, why do you think you can trust this Xehanort character?!" Maylin exclaimed. "Even from what little we know about him, he sounds like an arrogant _jackass_! You're _seriously_ going to trust the word of someone who's most likely fallen to the darkness for _ages_?!"

"Besides, you're obviously not seeing the potential in humanity," Haruka proclaimed. "Sure, we're not perfect, but at least we're trying."

"You act like there's no hope for anything," Marie continued. "But look at me! I was _dead_ for over a year and a half, and yet I managed to come back anyway! If that isn't a screw you to fate, I don't know what is!"

"Oh, I see now," Nick proclaimed, walking closer to Future Lily. "I know what your deal is. You just accepted your fate without even trying to fight it, didn't you?"

"And what the hell good is it to fight fate?!" Future Lily shouted back.

"That proves it," Nick quipped, raising Oathkeeper. "You're _nothing_ like my _real_ daughter. You're just the enemy."

"And you know _damn_ well what we do to enemies!" Maylin proclaimed.

Future Lily simply sighed in annoyance before raising her own right hand. "Very well. I guess there will be no convincing you."

Dark lightning surrounded Future Lily's hand as she re-summoned the No Name, then grasping her hood with her free hand before ripping it off and flinging it away to reveal that she was wearing a black and red organic-looking bodysuit.

"Let's see what you're made of," Future Lily proclaimed.

Nick had finally had enough, charging forward in hopes of tearing this monster that called herself his daughter apart.

But as Nick swung Oathkeeper, the blade passed right through Future Lily.

"An afterimage?" Nick quipped.

"NICK, LOOK OUT!" Maylin exclaimed.

Nick looked up just in time to see Future Lily reappear just above him and come down with a diving slash that drove him back a few steps.

"You think _that's_ going to stop me?!" Nick shouted.

"Oh, trust me, we're just getting started here," Future Lily shot back, dashing forward to slash at Nick, followed by an uppercut that sent Nick into the air, though he quickly recovered and countered with a downwards Hurricane Period, knocking Future Lily away.

Nick wasted no time in unleashing a Sonic Blade on Future Lily, though on the last blow, she vanished and performed another afterimage attack. Nick was ready this time, throwing Oathkeeper towards her and knocking her off balance.

Maylin took this chance to cast Graviga, driving Future Lily back to the ground so the young mage could attack with a Magic Hour, orbs of magic exploding outwards from her.

"You're hopeless," Future Lily laughed before leaping above Maylin and swinging No Name to spray dark lightning along the ground, sending Maylin stumbling backwards.

Maylin quickly hopped back to her feet, casting Aeroga on herself and surrounding her body with a shield of wind currents. "Try coming closer _now_ , bitch!" Maylin taunted.

"Well, if you wish. _Style Change: Darkest Fears!_ " Future Lily exclaimed, darkness enveloping her body and forming dark claws on both of her hands and gaining a pair of dark wings.

"What the _hell_?!" Maylin shouted, unable to react in time as Future Lily slashed No Name overhead and slammed it into the ground, unleashing a dark shockwave that passed through the Aeroga shield and knocked Maylin down.

Nick cast Reflect even as Future Lily spun around and charged for him, but she simply slashed through the barrier with her dark-enhanced attacks, laying into Nick with many wide sweeps and overhead spins, each attack causing a dark shockwave to explode outwards.

Future Lily turned towards Haruka even as Nick fell to his knees, even as Haruka wordlessly activated Wingblade and went on the offensive.

"I should have figured," Future Lily sighed before leaping towards Haruka and spraying dark lightning outwards, blasting Haruka backwards and forcing her out of her Style Change.

"And that just leaves you," Future Lily proclaimed, turning her attention to Marie.

"Oh, don't think you're gonna take _me_ down that easily," Marie stated.

"You saw how easily I brought your compatriots to their knees," Future Lily shot back. "What makes you think you'll be any different?"

"Because you pissed me off. _Style Change: Dark Impulse!_ " Marie exclaimed as darkness exploded from her body, covering her in a dark aura and surrounding her free hand with a wicked-looking dark claw.

"You're going to regret hurting my brother, you monster!" Marie proclaimed, charging towards Future Lily and swinging, only to pass through yet another afterimage. Marie backflipped the instant Future Lily appeared above her to attack and moved in the instant she touched the ground, attacking with a wicked flurry of keyblade strikes, mostly quick slashes and overhead spins, ending by thrusting her free hand forward and projecting a larger version of her dark claw forward to attack push Future Lily away.

"How was _that_?!" Marie growled.

"Hmph," Future Lily huffed before opening a pool of darkness under her and diving into it, the pool stalking along the ground until she was right under Marie. Knowing what to expect, Marie dashed away as Future Lily emerged, fireballs falling around her.

"Hey, maybe you were trying to do _this_?!" Marie shouted as she created a pool of darkness underneath her and dove down into it, coming back up right under Future Lily and projecting an even larger dark claw straight upwards, dragging Future Lily into the air with it.

"You wield the darkness quite well," Future Lily admitted.

"Yeah, but unlike _you_ , I only use my darkness to help others!" Marie challenged. "You just want to use darkness to destroy everything."

"Even still, you _were_ once a puppet of the darkness," Future Lily replied.

"I'll admit, I regret letting the darkness take hold of me," Marie proclaimed. "But _no more_! I fully accept the darkness inside of me, and I use it to fight for the safety of the worlds!"

"How is that any different from being controlled by the darkness?" Future Lily stated.

"Because _you_ apparently don't understand the idea of balance!" Marie shouted, raising Rainfell and charging forward, shrouded in darkness, before teleporting around Future Lily multiple times and striking her on each jump, ending off by coming down from above and planting Rainfell into the ground, causing geysers of darkness to erupt all around her and force Future Lily to back away, jumping a few feet towards the path to the Ravine Trail.

"Well, I guess I underestimated you, dark girl," Future Lily proclaimed. "But this is not the end, I assure you. I will take my leave for now. Consider the lot of you on probation."

Future Lily opened a corridor of darkness behind her and stepped into it before vanishing completely.

"Probation? For _what_?!" Nick growled.

"Easy, big bro, I gotcha," Marie proclaimed, raising Rainfell and casting Curaga on Nick, healing him to full strength. Nick, in turn, cast Curaga on Maylin, who cast Curaga on Haruka. Within a few moments, the entire group was back in fighting shape.

"Well, that didn't go well, did it?" Maylin admitted.

"Yeah, we kinda got stomped," Haruka quipped. "Thanks for driving her off, Marie."

"It's what I do!" Marie giggled.

Nick was silent, still absorbing everything that Future Lily had told him about her motivations and backstory and noting that their initial motivations had been extremely similar, both of them having lost their worlds to the darkness.

But unlike Future Lily, Nick had gained stalwart friends to support him, to keep him from falling into the darkness. Future Lily hadn't had anyone.

 _I guess it's no wonder how Xehanort was able to enthrall her so easily with the promise of power and vengeance,_ Nick thought. _A vulnerable heart is susceptible to darkness, after all, and she didn't have anyone to warn her against it._

"Heeeeeeeey!"

The entire group spun around and saw that Elyon was approaching them. Suddenly, they were all worried, as, after all, they had just defied a queen to go help their friends.

"Ummmmm..." Maylin stated, knowing they were probably in deep trouble now. "Your Majesty, I..."

"Don't worry about it," Elyon laughed. "I would have done the same thing for my friends. And you definitely have a lot of friends to help, right? So how about we all pull together and put an end to this battle once and for all?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" everyone exclaimed.

"Guys, you don't need to be so formal around me, you know," Elyon admitted. "Even though I _am_ a queen, I don't consider myself above everyone..."

"And that's why your people love you!" Marie giggled.

On a cliff just above the Castle Gate, a Dusk was fighting a Surveillance Robot, which eventually fired a large beam at the Dusk. The Dusk easily avoided the attack, but the beam struck the side of the cliff and exploded, causing large chunks of rock and debris to go flying every which way.

As Elyon began walking towards the Ravine Trail, Haruka noticed that one of those large rocks was falling straight for Elyon, and she didn't seem to notice it.

"INCOMING!" Haruka shouted, rushing over to push Elyon away, only for the rock to collide with her instead, slamming directly into Haruka's head and sending her flying head-first into the opposite cliff wall.

The others almost instantly rushed to Haruka's side even as she fell back to the ground, not even moving.

"Oh, no..." Elyon gasped once she'd picked herself up.

"Hey, hey, don't pull one over on me, you big doof! Wake up!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Come on, Haruka, please, _please_ wake up..." Nick pleaded.

"I'm _really_ sorry about that incident at the Great Clock!" Maylin gasped, looking like she was going to break into tears at any second. "I didn't know Time Bombs could do _that_!"

Nothing. No response from Haruka at all.

"H-Haruka?" Nick gasped, putting his head on Haruka's chest. He didn't feel anything. "No... no, this can't be happening... it just _can't_..."

Elyon clenched her fist, her anger written plain as day on her face. "They'll pay for this."

Elyon spun around, ripped her royal robe off to reveal an outfit quite similar in design to Nick's, and raised her hand to summon Royal Radiance before charging wordlessly down the Ravine Trail.

Maylin screamed louder than she ever had before as she summoned Stormfall and chased off after the queen.

"Come on, Nick, we have to go," Marie stated, summoning Darkgnaw to her hands.

"But..." Nick gasped, before sighing and realizing that Marie was right. Summoning Oblivion to his hands, Nick joined Marie in chasing after his friends, hoping that Haruka wasn't gone for good.

After a short distance, the four agreed to split up to take care of the Heartless that were invading.

But as Nick raced down his own path of the Ravine Trail, he was suddenly accosted by a swarm of three types of odd creatures that didn't seem like Heartless or Nobodies.

One type had a sleek, humanoid creature with blue skin, arms and legs that ended in points with no distinct digits, a triangular head with two long, jagged, lightning bolt-shaped antennae, and bright red eyes set in an angry expression.

The second type was a humanoid with predominantly blue skin, silver hands that ended three-fingered claws, a diamond-shaped head sporting two short horns on either side, and bright red eyes set in a sorrowful expression.

The third type was a large, bottom-heavy creature with predominantly blue skin, feet that curled up at the toes, conical arms ending in round and silver mitten-like hands, a spherical head sporting two long antennae that hook upward sharply, a midsection that was black with white highlights and lined by triangular patterns resembling teeth, and bright red eyes set in a happy expression.

"What the hell are _these_ things?!" Nick shouted, readying Oblivion for a fight against these unknown creatures.

Just then, he heard voices from afar.

" _Dual Aurora Wave!"_

" _Luminous! Shining Stream!"_

Just as the Scrappers leaped to attack Nick, a burst of multi-colored light drove them backwards.

Nick turned around and noticed that three teenage girls in Pretty Cure outfits had appeared not too far off.

 **("DANZEN! Futari wa Pretty Cure ~Max Heart ver.~" by Mayumi Gojou plays)**

" _Emissary of light, Cure Black!"_ Cure Black, alias Nagisa Misumi, proclaimed.

" _Emissary of light, Cure White!"_ Cure White, alias Honoka Yukishiro, proclaimed.

" _Shining life, Shiny Luminous!"_ Shiny Luminous, alias Hikari Kujou, proclaimed.

" _Together, we are Pretty Cure!"_ all three shouted.

" _Servants of the Dark Powers..."_ Cure White started.

" _Return to the darkness..."_ Shiny Luminous continued.

" _...from whence you came!"_ Cure Black finished.

A Flood darted through the air for the Cures, only for Cure Black to throw out a wicked right hook and punch it away. "Back off, weirdo!"

"We're here to help you, Nick!" Cure White proclaimed.

"Blue got us all to meet here in the Blue Sky Kingdom so we can fight off the Heartless," Shiny Luminous explained.

"And whatever _these_ things are," Nick quipped. "Either way, I _definitely_ appreciate the help, girls. Let's clean house!"

Nick raised Oblivion and charged into the fray, swinging his keyblade at the strange creatures, noticing that the Scrappers liked to get physical and the Floods liked to dive under the ground to avoid attacks like Shadows would.

Even as he continued to strike down Floods and Scrappers left and right, Cure Black and Cure White went to work on the Bruisers, striking from all sides with various punches and kicks, Cure White even drop-kicking a Bruiser in the head so Cure Black could sock it in the stomach and Shiny Luminous could finish it off with a flying energy disc attack.

"I'm so glad I learned some offensive moves," Shiny Luminous giggled.

"Hikari, watch out!" Cure Black exclaimed, noticing that a bunch of Scrappers were surrounding Shiny Luminous. Nick rectified that by jumping in front of Shiny Luminous and raising Oblivion, waiting for the Scrappers to get close. Once they all jumped, Nick slammed Oblivion down, unleashing an Explosion that destroyed them all at once.

"Thanks," Shiny Luminous stated.

"Oh, not more of them!" Cure Black shouted as more Bruisers and Scrappers appeared.

"Then let's just wipe them out," Cure White replied, getting into position with Cure Black and Shiny Luminous.

" _Abundant courage!"_ Cure Black chanted.

" _Overflowing hope!"_ Cure White chanted.

" _Together with the embrace of sparkling lights!"_ Shiny Luminous chanted.

The three Pretty Cures joined hands and aimed them at the approaching swarm.

" _Extreme Luminario!"_ the three Pretty Cures exclaimed, thrusting their hands towards the horde and unleashing a massive wave of golden light that destroyed the horde almost instantly.

"And that's that," Cure Black proclaimed, dusting her hands off.

"We'd better go help the others," Cure White answered.

"You can go on ahead, Nick," Shiny Luminous stated. "We've got this area under control."

"Roger that," Nick replied, rushing down the trail only to be stopped by another group of enemies, mostly Heartless like Lance Soldiers, Emerald Blues, and a new enemy that resembled a red pot. Its lid was black with a small and conical red spike on it, the pot's base also black with two short spikes on it, a short, red, lightning-bolt shaped "wing" on either side of its body, and large red eyes set in a happy expression.

"Okay, what the hell _are_ these things?!" Nick growled. "I've never seen them before, and they _definitely_ don't look like Heartless or Nobodies... wait, they only started appearing after we fought that future Lily. Is she connected to them somehow?"

Before he could go on the attack, he heard two loud calls of _"Dual Spiritual Power!"_ before a large stream of energy fell from the air and scattered the horde in different directions.

Nick turned around to see four more Pretty Cures standing right behind him.

 **("Makasete** **Splash Star" by Yuka Uchiyae feat. Orie Kimoto & Atsuko Enomoto plays)**

" _Flowers, bloom on Earth! The gleaming golden flower, Cure Bloom!"_ Cure Bloom, alias Saki Hyuuga, proclaimed.

" _Soar in the skies! The sparkling silver wing, Cure Egret!"_ Cure Egret, alias Mai Mishou, proclaimed.

" _Illuminating the future! The full moon in the sky, Cure Bright!"_ Cure Bright, alias Michiru Kiryuu, proclaimed.

" _Wielding the courage! The scented wind on the Earth, Cure Windy!"_ Cure Windy, alias Kaoru Kiryuu, proclaimed.

" _Together, we are Pretty Cure Splash Star!"_ all four Cures proclaimed.

" _Those who desecrate the Holy Fountains..."_ Cure Bloom and Cure Egret proclaimed.

" _We're here to stop your cruel behavior!"_ Cure Bright and Cure Windy proclaimed.

"Hey, we're not late, are we?" Cure Bloom stated.

"Saki, really?" Cure Egret sighed.

"Nope, you're just in time," Nick replied, raising his keyblade and switching it to Fairy Stars. "Shall we commence with the beatdown?"

"Oh, you _know_ it!" Cure Bloom laughed, leaping for one of the Emerald Blues and hitting it with a double overhead fist slam, knocking it down so that Cure Egret could spin it around with a flying upward kick.

Cure Bright and Cure Windy proceeded to play pinball with one of the Lance Soldiers, bouncing it back and forth between them with each attack until they both struck at once, destroying the Lance Soldier.

"Simple," Cure Bright stated.

Another Emerald Blues set up its wind shield and started moving menacingly towards Cure Bloom and Cure Egret, but Nick stopped its advance by firing a Firaga spell into its face, passing through the barrier and dazing it so Cure Bloom could powerslam it into the ground and destroy it.

"Oh, yeah, I'm _definitely_ in top form today!" Cure Bloom laughed.

"And that just leaves the new challengers," Nick replied, facing down the Red Hot Chili even as it advanced, spewing fireballs all around it.

Nick countered by casting Blizzaga, causing the Red Hot Chili to fall to the ground so Nick could finish it with an overhead slash.

Just then, a large swarm of Neoshadows spawned around the entire group.

"Oh, _come on_ with this bunk!" Nick growled.

"We'll take it from here," Cure Egret stated, joining hands with Cure Bloom.

" _Oh, spirits of the earth..."_ Cure Bloom chanted.

" _Oh, spirits of the sky..."_ Cure Egret chanted.

Energy began to surround Cure Bloom and Cure Egret, almost resembling water in its shape.

" _Now, together with Pretty Cure..."_ Cure Bloom chanted.

" _...release the power of miracles!"_ Cure Egret chanted.

The energy surrounding them formed into a circular shape in front of them.

" _Pretty Cure Twin Stream Splash!"_ Cure Bloom and Cure Egret shouted, thrusting their hands through the circle of energy and unleashing two streams of energy that ripped through the Neoshadows like a hot knife through butter.

"Hey, why are there still _more_?!" Cure Bloom shouted.

"Then let _us_ step up," Cure Windy responded, joining hands with Cure Bright.

" _Oh, light of the spirits! Glitter of life!"_ Cure Windy chanted.

" _Lead our two hearts on the path of hope!"_ Cure Bright chanted.

A large, heart-shaped bubble of energy formed in front of them, colored mostly blue and yellow.

" _Pretty Cure Spiral Heart Splash!"_ Cure Bright and Cure Windy shouted, raising their hands and causing the bubble to rocket forward and shred through the remaining Neoshadows.

"And that's all for them," Cure Bright stated proudly.

"I seriously appreciate the help, you guys," Nick stated.

"No problem, buddy! We're always happy to help!" Cure Bloom proclaimed.

"On that note, you should probably get going, Nick," Cure Egret stated. "You've still got a battle to fight."

"No kidding," Nick replied as the Splash Star Cures leaped away to continued the battle elsewhere.

As Nick continued down the Ravine Trail, he couldn't help but worry about leaving Haruka behind, despite the battle that needed to be finished.

Nick was so deep in his thoughts that he nearly ran head-first into another new creature, this one being a black-skinned humanoid with a teal wheelbarrow in place of its lower body, said wheelbarrow having silver highlights and a single, black wheel for movement, a round and vaguely triangular head with two short horns, another antenna sprouting out of its forehead and suspending a cylindrical blue lamp, its arms both ending in gold and silver pickaxes, and its red eyes set in an angry expression.

"Oh, that's not pleasant at all," Nick quipped as at least seven Monotruckers surrounded him.

" _Pretty Cure Metamorphose!"_

" _Skyrose Translate!"_

A great burst of rainbow light drove the Monotruckers away so Nick could see who his newest allies were.

 **("Pretty Cure 5, Full Throttle GOGO!" by Mayu Kudou with Yes! Pretty Cure 5 plays)**

" _The great power of hope, Cure Dream!"_ Cure Dream, alias Nozomi Yumehara, proclaimed.

" _The red flame of passion, Cure Rouge!"_ Cure Rouge, alias Rin Natsuki, proclaimed.

" _The effervescent scent of lemon, Cure Lemonade!"_ Cure Lemonade, alias Urara Kasugano, proclaimed.

" _The green earth of tranquility, Cure Mint!"_ Cure Mint, alias Komachi Akimoto, proclaimed.

" _The blue spring of intelligence, Cure Aqua!"_ Cure Aqua, alias Karen Minazuki, proclaimed.

" _The blue rose is my secret emblem! Milky Rose!"_ Milky Rose, alias Kurumi Mimino, proclaimed.

The six Pretty Cures performed their group pose together. _"With the power of hope, and the light of the future, our five beautiful hearts will soar! Yes! Pretty Cure Five!"_

Nick looked slightly confused. _Wait, five? There's six of you,_ Nick thought.

"Hey, Nick, we're here to help! It's been decided!" Cure Dream exclaimed.

"Let's save the catchphrases for later, okay, Nozomi?" Cure Rouge sighed even as a Monotrucker jumped through the air for her.

"Back off, buddy! _The powerful flame of a young girl's pure heart, take this! Pretty Cure Rouge Burning!"_ Cure Rouge proclaimed, thrusting her hand forward to unleash a fiery butterfly that destroyed the Monotrucker.

A Nightwalker appeared behind Cure Lemonade, but Nick was there in a flash, leaping over Cure Lemonade to slash at the Nightwalker before it could attack.

"Thanks," Cure Lemonade stated. "Now watch this, hehe. _The bursting power of a sparkling girl, take this! Pretty Cure Lemonade Shining!"_

Cure Lemonade opened her hands to unleash a wave of sparkling yellow butterflies to rip through a group of Nightwalkers and Monotruckers.

Another Monotrucker tried to drill through the ground and come up under Cure Mint, but she saw through that, leaping backwards before raising her hands.

" _The earth tremors of a young girl's anger, take this! Pretty Cure Mint Shield!"_ Cure Mint exclaimed, a green energy bubble expanding outwards from her, merely phasing through Nick but sending the Monotruckers around her flying.

"My turn!" Cure Aqua proclaimed. _"The rock-crushing power of a young girl's outpourings, take this! Pretty Cure Aqua Tornado!"_

Cure Aqua thrust her right hand forward and unleashed a large waterspout that destroyed another group of Nightwalkers.

"Girls, you're _seriously_ going to leave me out of this?!" Cure Dream exclaimed. "You're not leaving any for me!"

"There's a few right there," Milky Rose laughed, pointing towards a trio of Bruisers that had just appeared. "Go nuts, Nozomi."

"You got it!" Cure Dream giggled, turning serious as she set her sights on the Bruisers.

" _The potential of a young girl's dreams, take this! Pretty Cure Crystal Shoot!"_ Cure Dream exclaimed, thrusting her right hand forward to unleash a wave of pink crystals that made short work of the Bruisers.

"Is that all of them?" Cure Rouge asked, only for a Darkside to rise up from the edge of the nearby cliffside, bearing down on the entire group.

"You just _had_ to say something, Rouge," Nick groaned.

"Don't worry, Nick! We've got just the thing for the extra-large ones!" Cure Dream giggled as the main five Cures brought out their Cure Fleurets, lightsaber-like blades extending out from each of them.

Nick moved in to intercept a flying punch from the Darkside, opting to buy time for the Cures to unleash their finisher.

" _Crystal Fleuret, the light of hope!"_ Cure Dream proclaimed.

" _Fire Fleuret, the light of passion!"_ Cure Rouge proclaimed.

" _Shining Fleuret, the effervescent light!"_ Cure Lemonade proclaimed.

" _Protect Fleuret, the light of tranquility!"_ Cure Mint proclaimed.

" _Tornado Fleuret, the light of intelligence!"_ Cure Aqua proclaimed.

The Darkside raised both of its fists above itself, its intent obvious. "Crap, _crap_!" Nick shouted.

"I've got this one," Milky Rose stated, raising the Milky Palette towards the Darkside. _"Let burst the shining rose, and envelop the evil power! Milky Rose Metal Blizzard!"_

A giant metallic-blue rose appeared in front of Milky Rose just as she swung the Milky Palette and caused the giant rose to erupt into a stream of rose petals that pushed the Darkside back and interrupted its attack.

" _Let our five lights be ridden by courage! Pretty Cure Rainbow Rose Explosion!"_ the five Cures shouted, thrusting their Fleurets forward and creating five large roses, one in each of their colors, that shot towards the Darkside, eventually merging into one gigantic rainbow-colored rose. This rose flew above the Darkside before falling down on it with all the force of a crashing meteor, finishing it off.

"BOOM!" Cure Dream laughed.

"Boom, indeed," Nick quipped.

"This area should be clear," Cure Rouge stated. "Get moving, Nick! The others need your help!"

"How many more Pretty Cure groups should I expect to see before this fight is over?" Nick wondered.

"Oh, you'll see," Cure Lemonade giggled as the entire group hopped down the nearby cliffside to battle some more Heartless.

It truly was a testament to how many worlds existed out there in the universe that were so many Pretty Cure teams operating from different worlds. Nick couldn't help but marvel at that fact as he continued down the Ravine Trail.

After turning down a spiral road that wound around a small cliff, Nick stopped in another bowl-shaped area as more Heartless and unknown creatures appeared to hinder his progress. The Heartless here were mostly Armored Knights, but the new creature resembled a large, black boot with a cyan strap, a silver sole, a spherical blue head peeking out of the top of the boot, two curved horns on the top of its head and red eyes set in a sorrowful expression.

Nick had quickly noticed that all of these new creatures had red eyes set in either a happy, sad, or angry expression. "Wonder what _that's_ all about..." Nick thought as he prepared for battle.

" _Change! Pretty Cure Beat Up!"_

A large four-leaf clover made of pure light dropped down from above to crush a good chunk of the Armored Knights, followed by the four Fresh Pretty Cures leaping down from a cliff to the west to introduce themselves.

 **("Let's! Fresh Pretty Cure! ~Hybrid ver.~" by Mizuki Moie plays)**

" _The pink heart is the symbol of love! Freshly-picked, Cure Peach!"_ Cure Peach, alias Love Momozono, proclaimed.

" _The blue heart is the symbol of hope! Freshly-gathered, Cure Berry!"_ Cure Berry, alias Miki Aono, proclaimed.

" _The yellow heart is the sign of prayers! Freshly-harvested, Cure Pine!"_ Cure Pine, alias Inori Yamabuki, proclaimed.

" _The crimson heart is the proof of happiness! Freshly-ripened, Cure Passion!"_ Cure Passion, alias Setsuna Higashi, proclaimed.

" _Let's go! Fresh Pretty Cure!"_ the four Cures proclaimed together.

"We're on the scene!" Cure Peach exclaimed.

"Did you run into Eas anywhere, Passion?" Nick wondered.

"She got away, but I did manage to drive her off," Cure Passion responded. "But let's not worry about her right now. Let's take these monsters down, first and foremost!"

"Now you're talking my lingo," Nick laughed as he turned to face down the Shoegazers.

" _Soar, melody of love! Cure Stick, Peach Rod!"_ Cure Peach shouted, aiming her Peach Rod for a group of approaching Lance Soldiers. _"Nasty things, nasty things, fly away now! Pretty Cure Love Sunshine Fresh!"_

As a Lance Soldier lunged, Cure Peach fired off a massive pink energy heart that shredded through the horde's ranks.

As a bunch of Shoegazers approached, Cure Berry raised her Berry Sword, daring any of them to get closer.

One of the Shoegazers took the bait, hopping up and down towards her, just like a stomping foot.

"That's what I thought. _Echo, the rhythm of hope! Cure Stick, Berry Sword!_ " Cure Berry exclaimed. _"Nasty things, nasty things, fly away now! Pretty Cure Espoir Shower Fresh!"_

Cure Berry slashed the Berry Sword through the air, and a large blue energy spade fired from her weapon and obliterated most of the Shoegazers, except for one who decided to tuck into its boot, creating a shield that actually blocked Cure Berry's attack.

"Okay, so they can't be hurt when they tuck in," Nick quipped. "Good for future reference."

Nick waited until the Shoegazer peeked out to lash out with a flying jump slash to finally destroy it.

As a group of Hot Rods appeared, Cure Pine stepped up, playing a tune on her Pine Flute. "My turn! _Flutter, harmony of prayers! Cure Stick, Pine Flute!_ " Cure Pine exclaimed even as a Hot Rod began barreling towards her. _"Nasty things, nasty things, fly away now! Pretty Cure Healing Prayer Fresh!"_

Cure Pine flicked the Pine Flute forward, unleashing a large yellow energy diamond that blasted the Hot Rods back and damaged them enough for Nick to be able to cast Thundaga and finish them off.

Meanwhile, Cure Passion faced down a group of Nightwalkers, strumming a melody on her harp. _"Sing, rhapsody of happiness! Passion Harp!"_

A lone Lance Soldier attempted a sneak attack from behind, but Nick leaped forward to destroy it with an aerial spin slash before hopping back to let Cure Passion finish her attack.

" _Rage, storm of happiness! Pretty Cure Happiness Hurricane!"_ Cure Passion proclaimed, spinning around like a whirling dervish, a storm of angel feathers and energy hearts spiraling around her that instantly destroyed any Heartless who dared to get close.

"All done?" Cure Peach asked, just as a large Heartless fell from the sky to interrupt Cure Peach's question. "Why do I ask stupid things?"

"Wait, how the hell are _you_ back _again_?!" Nick exclaimed, staring in bewilderment at the Parasite Cage. "How many times are these freaks going to come back from the dead?!"

"Oh, don't worry, Nick, we've got this one," Cure Peach stated, holding up a strange box. "Hope you like _our_ super finisher! _Clover Box, lend us your power!"_

The four Fresh Pretty Cures all got into formation as if they were running a relay race.

" _Pretty Cure Formation!"_ Cure Peach shouted. _"Ready, GO!"_

The four Cures all began running towards the Parasite Cage. Cure Passion was the first to react, summoning a crimson heart to her hands.

" _Happiness Leaf, set!"_ Cure Passion shouted, throwing the heart to Cure Pine.

" _Plus one, Prayer Leaf!"_ Cure Pine shouted, summoning a yellow heart and attaching it to the Happiness Leaf before tossing it over to Cure Berry.

" _Plus one, Espoir Leaf!"_ Cure Berry shouted, summoning a blue heart and attaching it to the other two leaves before throwing the construct for Cure Peach.

" _Plus one, Lovely Leaf!"_ Cure Peach shouted, summoning a yellow heart and attaching it to the others. The four leaves put together formed a large, multi-colored four-leaf clover. Cure Berry, Cure Pine, and Cure Passion leaped into the air as Cure Peach threw the clover seal down towards the Parasite Cage, the seal enlarging as the four Cures landed on it. This caused the Parasite Cage to be imprisoned in a large crystal filled with light energy.

" _Lucky Clover Grand Finale!"_ the four Cures proclaimed as the crystal shattered, its shards swiftly tearing the Parasite Cage apart and leaving only a large heart that floated into the sky.

"And another enemy defeated!" Cure Peach laughed.

"We'd better go find the others," Cure Berry answered.

"You can move on from here, Nick," Cure Pine stated.

"Besides, I have to find Eas so we can settle our score for good," Cure Passion proclaimed.

"Good luck with that," Nick replied. "You'll kick her butt before long, I know it."

Cure Passion smiled happily at Nick before the Fresh Pretty Cures dashed off to join their comrades in the larger fight. Nick had a feeling he'd be crossing paths with Eas on his own time soon, too, especially after their brief scrap at the Restoration Site.

Further down the Ravine Trail, Nick was once again beset by more of the strange creatures. Something in Nick's mind was telling him that these creatures were "not well-versed in their own existence", so he decided to call them the Unversed until he found out what they were really called.

And there were a _lot_ of them this time, most of them being small Unversed with a round head with several short spikes on it, a rounded cap with a short spike on the tip coming from above its head, and all with the same black, heart-shaped face with red eyes set in an angry expression.

A few of them were an odd Unversed with a large, translucent blue dome connected to the top of its head covered in short, dark blue spikes and a rim lined by larger, light green spikes. Inside the dome, several balls of various colors were visible. Four blue, tentacle-like protrusions with light green tips hung down from the dome. The Unversed's head hung down from the center of the dome's underside, the head being black and enveloped in a translucent, blue membrane with red eyes set in a sorrowful expression.

"Okay, what it is now, free sushi day?" Nick teased.

" _Pretty Cure! Open My Heart!"_

A storm of multi-colored flowers blew in from nearby, destroying quite a few of the Jellyshades even though more continued to spawn in. Nick looked up to the cliff face ahead to see four more Pretty Cures standing there.

 **("Alright! Heartcatch Pretty Cure!" by Aya Ikeda plays)**

" _The flower that blooms upon the earth, Cure Blossom!"_ Cure Blossom, alias Tsubomi Hanasaki, proclaimed.

" _The flower that sways in the sea breeze, Cure Marine!"_ Cure Marine, alias Erika Kurumi, proclaimed.

" _The flower that bathes in the sun's rays, Cure Sunshine!"_ Cure Sunshine, alias Itsuki Myoudouin proclaimed.

" _The flower that gleams in the light of the moon, Cure Moonlight!"_ Cure Moonlight, alias Yuri Tsukikage, proclaimed.

" _The flowers that spread across the world, Heartcatch Pretty Cure!"_ the four Cures exclaimed.

"Holy crap, they're crawling out of the woodwork now," Nick quipped.

"Hey, dude, we're here to offer our awesome help!" Cure Marine proclaimed, quickly snapping out to kick a Jellyshade that had been bearing down on her. "Yo, no sneak attacks when I'm giving my speech!"

There were now hundreds of Jellyshades surrounding them, and Nick quickly realized that despite being weak individually, Jellyshades were quite devastating in large numbers, which they were no doubt showing.

"I'll start us off, then," Cure Blossom stated before rushing directly into the horde and raising her right hand.

" _Blossom Impact!"_ Cure Blossom shouted, punching forward. A pink shockwave emanated from her fist and shredded quite a few Jellyshades in the process.

"Don't leave me out of it, Tsubomi! _Marine Dynamite!_ " Cure Marine exclaimed, throwing her hands up and creating a large explosion of blue light around her that destroyed a number of Jellyshades and knocked the Blobmobs away from her.

"My turn! _Sunflower Aegis_!" Cure Sunshine shouted, generating a sunflower-shaped energy shield before lifting it into the air and slamming it down, eliminating quite a few Jellyshades with the impact alone.

"That's a new way of using it," Cure Marine giggled.

"Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it," Cure Sunshine laughed.

One of the Blobmobs floated towards Cure Moonlight, but she quickly knocked it away with a spinning kick. Another Blobmob took advantage of this by firing liquid lasers towards her.

"Oh, no you don't! _Moonlight Reflection!_ " Cure Moonlight exclaimed, firing silver lasers from her palms that struck the liquid shots and reflected them back at the Blobmob to destroy it.

 _I really feel like I'm being left out here,_ Nick thought, only to ready his keyblade when he noticed another Darkside approaching them, only this one was at least four times larger than a normal Darkside.

"Oh, what _is_ it with my luck today?!" Nick exclaimed before sensing a great surge of energy behind him. He looked back to see that the Heartcatch Pretty Cures had transformed into their Super Silhouette forms, no doubt ready to unleash their finisher.

" _Flowers, blossom with pride!"_ the four Cures shouted as they raised their weapons, causing an image of a maiden to appear behind them, just as massive as the super-sized Darkside. Nick couldn't help but awe at the projection even as it moved to attack.

" _Pretty Cure Heartcatch Orchestra!"_ the four Cures exclaimed as the astral projection slammed its fist down onto the Darkside's head, instantly destroying it in a flash of multi-colored light.

"You know something?" Nick asked as the four Cures returned to their normal Cure forms. "I keep thinking I've seen everything in my travels, but then I just keep getting one-upped. You all are _amazing_."

"Hey, you're no slouch yourself," Cure Marine stated. "After all, I've seen some of the things you can do with that keyblade. You're clearly in a class of your own!"

"Now, then, you should probably head out," Cure Blossom proclaimed. "I'm sure your friends are waiting for you."

"True that," Nick quipped as he continued his trip down the Ravine Trail, leaving the Heartcatch group to leap down into the Great Maw to fend off more enemies.

As Nick continued to run, he looked down to see the Heartcatch Pretty Cures fighting off more Heartless and Unversed, only for a random Jellyshade to bonk Cure Blossom on the head. All of a sudden, she got angry, shouting "I'VE REACHED MY LIMIT!" and storming into the horde, attacking with punches, kicks, and energy bursts to destroy one enemy after another.

"Remind me not to get on Blossom's bad side," Nick quipped.

After a little more running, Nick came to a square-shaped area boxed off by both walls of the cliff around him, where what else but a Demon Tower was waiting, spinning around through the air as it prepared to strike.

"Oh, not you again," Nick groaned, switching to Gravity Queen. "I've had enough of _you_ freaks!"

The eyes of every Shadow that composed the Demon Tower glowed a wicked red as it spun through the air to attack.

" _Let's Play! Pretty Cure Modulation!"_

A wave of musical notes constricted the Demon Tower, stopping it in its tracks. Nick turned his attention to the next group of Pretty Cures to come to his aid.

 **("La La La Suite Pretty Cure" by Mayu Kudou plays)**

" _Strumming the wild tune, Cure Melody!"_ Cure Melody, alias Hibiki Hojou, proclaimed.

" _Strumming the tranquil tune, Cure Rhythm!"_ Cure Rhythm, alias Kanade Minamino, proclaimed.

" _Strumming the soulful tune, Cure Beat!"_ Cure Beat, alias Ellen Kurokawa, proclaimed.

" _Strumming the tune of the goddess, Cure Muse!"_ Cure Muse, alias Ako Shirabe, proclaimed.

The four Cures performed their group pose, bright musical notes forming around them. _"Resonate, our musical suite! Suite Pretty Cure!"_

"Love the music motif," Nick quipped.

The Demon Tower broke out of its confinement and twisted through the air to attack the Pretty Cures.

"Nice try, twister boy!" Cure Melody shouted as she joined hands with Cure Rhythm.

" _Pretty Cure Passionato Harmony!"_ Cure Melody and Cure Rhythm chanted, a giant golden G-clef note appearing in front of them before spinning rapidly to unleash a large wave of golden light that blasted the Demon Tower back, allowing Cure Beat to summon her Love Guitar Rod.

"Who wants to play, boys?" Cure Beat teased even as the Demon Tower rushed towards her. _"Beat Sonic!"_

Cure Beat strummed a tune on the Love Guitar Rod, and dozens of purple musical notes appeared around the Demon Tower before turning into magical arrowheads that battered at the Demon Tower's core.

Nick decided to make himself useful and rushed in to slash at the Demon Tower a few times, finishing off with a Stride Break that pushed it backward, only for it to fly around and soar straight for Cure Muse.

"Oh, don't think that because I'm younger, I'm more vulnerable," Cure Muse stated quite sternly. "Think again! _Sparkling Shower!_ "

Cure Muse waved her Cure Module in a distinct pattern before firing off a storm of bubbles that surrounded the Demon Tower before changing into orange musical notes that constricted around its core, stunning it and causing it to spin helplessly in its spot.

"That should do it! Let's finish it off!" Cure Melody shouted.

Nick watched in awe as the four Cures opened up the Healing Chest to call on its power.

" _Come out, the source of all sounds!"_ the four Cures all chanted as the Fairy Tones added their own power to the Healing Chest, and Hibiki gently swept her hands across the piano keys.

The Suite Pretty Cures all joined hands as the Crescendo Tone appeared above them.

" _Let's deliver the symphony of hope!"_ the four Cures chanted as they began flying down a rainbow road made of piano keys, aiming right for the vulnerable Demon Tower.

" _Pretty Cure Suite Session Ensemble! CRESCENDO!"_ the four Cures all shouted, absorbing themselves into the image of the Crescendo Tone and speeding forward unbelievably swiftly, ripping their way through the Demon Tower's mass and reappearing behind it.

" _FINALE!"_ all four Cures shouted, and the Demon Tower was carried into the air by a geyser of light, eventually turning into a cluster of light sparkles that dispersed and exploded, leaving nothing of it behind.

"You just keep getting more and more impressive with each new team I meet," Nick admitted. "Even if you all end up doing most of the work while I just sit there marveling at your awesomeness..."

"Hey, we're happy to help!" Cure Muse giggled. "Any friend of our friends is a friend of ours, after all!"

"And besides, it's okay to marvel at our awesomeness," Cure Melody laughed. "We're awesome, after all! OW! Kanade, what was _that_ for?!"

"In case you didn't notice, Hibiki," Cure Rhythm teased. "There's still a battle going on that we've gotta rejoin at some point."

"I'm sure you've got your own fight to get back to," Cure Beat proclaimed. "We won't keep you."

With that, the Suite Pretty Cures hopped down to the lower levels of the cliff area to join their fellow Pretty Cures in driving off the Heartless.

Nick continued his mad dash along the Ravine Trail, noticing that he was getting closer and closer to a passage in the distance.

 _That must lead to the Great Maw where everyone else is fighting,_ Nick thought.

In another bowl-shaped crevice, Nick stopped in his tracks when he saw that a Dustflier was floating just ahead of him, obviously studying his movements.

"Just my luck," Nick groaned, summoning Power Shade to his hands. "How many _more_ of you stupid pain-in-the-ass Heartless am I going to have to re-kill before this day is done?!"

" _Pretty Cure Smile Charge!"_

A powerful maelstrom of different elemental attacks fired down from the upper cliff and battered the Dustflier, forcing it to back away and turn its attention to the five Pretty Cures who were jumping down to ground level to introduce themselves.

Almost instantly, Nick noticed something familiar about these Pretty Cures.

 **("Let's Go! Smile Pretty Cure!" by Aya Ikeda plays)**

" _The twinkling and shining light of the future, Cure Happy!"_ Cure Happy, alias Miyuki Hoshizora, proclaimed.

" _The brilliant sun and hot-blooded power, Cure Sunny!"_ Cure Sunny, alias Akane Hino, proclaimed.

" _The sparkling and glittering rock-paper-scissors, Cure Peace!"_ Cure Peace, alias Yayoi Kise, proclaimed.

" _Courageous and piercing cold, a clean-cut match, Cure March!"_ Cure March, alias Nao Midorikawa, proclaimed.

" _The falling and gathering snow of a noble heart, Cure Beauty!"_ Cure Beauty, alias Reika Aoki, proclaimed.

" _We are the five lights that will guide everyone to the future!"_ the five Cures shouted before performing their group pose. _"Everyone sparkle! Smile Pretty Cure!"_

 _Wait a minute, what the heck is the Glitter Force doing here?_ Nick thought, as these five Pretty Cures were dead ringers for the five members of the Glitter Force that he'd visited on his first adventure. _Okay, I'm confused as hell here._

"Hey there!" Cure Happy exclaimed, snapping Nick out of his thoughts. "We came to help out!"

"It seems like a good thing we did," Cure Sunny quipped. "Because this thing looks like a _pain_."

"You have _no idea_ , Sunny," Nick groaned, raising his keyblade and preparing to attack even as the Dustflier did a shuttle loop before charging for Nick. This time, Nick wasn't having any of that, and cast Reflect just before the Dustflier reached him so that it bounced off and dazed itself.

"POUR IT ON!" Cure Sunny exclaimed.

Cure Happy surrounded her hands with pink energy before drawing a large heart with them. After this, the energy heart shrunk so Cure Happy could fit it in her hands. _"Pretty Cure Happy Shower!"_ After calling her attack name, Cure Happy brought the energy heart behind her Kamehameha-style, before thrusting her hands forward and unleashing a gargantuan beam of pink energy.

Cure Sunny tossed her Smile Pact into the air, and it became engulfed in flames, forming a sphere shaped similarly to a volleyball. _"Pretty Cure Sunny Fire!"_ Cure Sunny rushed forward before eventually leaping into the air and slamming her hand into the fire sphere, spiking it volleyball-style towards the Dustflier.

Cure Peace raised her right hand into the sky, her index and middle fingers separated in a peace sign. A bolt of lightning shot down from the air and surrounded Cure Peace's hand. _"Pretty Cure Peace Thunder!"_ After a little surprised yelp, she began spinning around, creating a ring of electricity around her body. When she finished spinning, she aimed for the Dustflier and thrust both her hands forward, projecting her gathered energy as a large, jagged bolt of lightning.

Cure March floated above the ground before a second before dashing forward. After a bit, she spread her hands out, forming a green sphere of wind energy in front of her. _"Pretty Cure March Shoot!"_ Cure March lashed her right foot out with the force of a runaway freight train, soccer-kicking the sphere towards the Dustflier.

Cure Beauty raised her right hand, snowflakes gathering around it until they formed a sphere. She then used her left hand to draw a snowflake pattern in front of her. _"Pretty Cure Beauty Blizzard!"_ Cure Beauty quickly forced the sphere through the snowflake, unleashing a wave of bitter cold towards the Dustflier.

Dazed as it was, the Dustflier couldn't evade in time, and all five attacks collided with it at the same time, then exploded in a great flash of rainbow light, causing the Dustflier to crash to the ground so Nick could leap over and finish the stubborn Heartless with one final slash.

"There. One pain in the ass kicked," Nick proclaimed.

"I forgot how much fun it was to just wail on these monster things," Cure March admitted.

"Oh, you would, you," Cure Sunny teased.

Cure Peace glanced at Nick, not sure what the feeling of déjà vu was that she currently had. "Excuse me?" Cure Peace asked.

"Yeah?" Nick replied.

"Um... have I met you before?" Cure Peace wondered. "Because you seem really familiar to me..."

Nick wondered if it had something to do with the Glitter Force's world, as the two seemed mostly alike despite the difference in names. He couldn't help but smile at the memory of the picture that Lily had drawn of him and his Power Shade keyblade. That picture was still in the Gummi Ship, after all, even after Maylin and Haruka had remodeled it.

"Maybe," Nick answered. "I've been to another world with you all in it, but you're called the Glitter Force there. Trust me, it's weird..."

"Hey, after all the things we've seen as Pretty Cures, I think I could _easily_ accept a parallel version of us!" Cure Happy exclaimed.

"On that note, we'd better find the other Pretty Cures before this horde overwhelms us," Cure Beauty proclaimed. "You should keep going, too, Nick, so you can find your friends before it's too late."

"Remember, stay ultra happy!" Cure Happy proclaimed.

"Stay happy..." Nick repeated, still hoping that Haruka wasn't too badly hurt, or worse...

Nick shook his head to dispel _those_ thoughts as the Smile Pretty Cures raced off to join the others. He knew now was _definitely not_ the time for that.

After passing under two archways and reaching a large crevice area, Nick was stopped in his tracks by another group of Unversed. These Unversed were bat-like creatures with a thin neck and navy-blue pear-shaped body, a head resembling a hatchet or axe blade, and two large, tan wings with blue edges sprouting from the sides of it and bright red eyes set in a sorrowful expression.

"Oh, great, here come the freakin' bats," Nick groaned, readying Power Shade for action.

" _Pretty Cure Love Link!"_

" _Pretty Cure Dress Up!"_

A series of large energy hearts fell from the sky, crashing down all around the area and wiping out quite a few of the Axe Flappers. This allowed Nick to glance behind him and see which Pretty Cures were coming to his aid now.

 **("Happy Go Lucky! DokiDoki! Pretty Cure" by Tomoyo Kurosawa plays)**

" _Brimming with love, Cure Heart!"_ Cure Heart, alias Mana Aida, proclaimed.

" _The light of wisdom, Cure Diamond!"_ Cure Diamond, alias Rikka Hishikawa, proclaimed.

" _The warmth of the sun, Cure Rosetta!"_ Cure Rosetta, alias Alice Yotsuba, proclaimed.

" _The blade of courage, Cure Sword!"_ Cure Sword, alias Makoto Kenzaki, proclaimed.

" _The trump card of love, Cure Ace!"_ Cure Ace, alias Aguri Madoka, proclaimed.

The five Pretty Cures performed their group pose. _"Resonate, the heartbeat of love! DokiDoki Pretty Cure!"_

"Oh, wow, how many of you girls _are_ there?" Nick asked.

"A lot, honestly," Cure Diamond laughed.

"Come on, let's hurry and mess these things up!" Cure Heart exclaimed. "I'm still worried about Regina!"

"I'm sure Regina can take care of herself just fine, Mana," Cure Rosetta giggled.

"Did you _see_ how many of these things are all over the place?!" Cure Heart shouted.

"Then let's clean up here and go find her," Cure Sword stated, shifting into a fighting stance as more Axe Flappers appeared.

Cure Heart tapped the heart-shaped brooch on her chest, which began to glow with a bright pink light. _"Reaching out to you! My Sweet Heart!"_ Cure Heart proclaimed, a giant energy heart erupting from her brooch and exploding outwards to easily destroy a group of Axe Flappers.

As a small army of Jellyshades appeared and floated towards Cure Diamond, she simply pointed her finger towards them. _"Sparkle, Twinkle Diamond!"_ Cure Diamond exclaimed, a flurry of diamond-shaped energy beams flying out from her finger to destroy the Jellyshades one by one.

Two Blobmobs appeared to surround Cure Rosetta, but she just raised her hands in response, a green clover forming around each of them.

" _Pretty Cure Rosetta Reflection, Double Crush!"_ Cure Rosetta exclaimed, flicking her hands out to cause the two giant clovers to surround the Blobmobs. With a wink and a clap of her hands, Cure Rosetta slammed the clover walls together and crushed the Blobmobs effortlessly.

A Bruiser stared down Cure Sword, who waved her hand as if daring the Unversed to come closer. To Cure Sword's slight surprise, it took the bait, rushing forward while swinging its arms wildly.

"You asked for it! _Flash, Holy Sword!_ " Cure Sword proclaimed, swinging her right hand to unleash a storm of spade-shaped purple energy blades that sliced up the Bruiser and continued onwards to attack the Blobmobs that were floating closer to Cure Ace.

"How about I finish them off? _Throb for me, Ace Shot!_ " Cure Ace exclaimed, blowing a kiss with her weapon and causing a large red energy heart to shoot out towards a cluster of Bruisers, wiping them out on the spot.

Nick quickly swung Power Shade to counter the attack of yet another Demon Tower that had arrived, pushing it back before leaping towards the Doki Doki Pretty Cures to put some space between himself and his opponent.

"For crying out loud, _enough_ of you freaks!" Nick shouted.

"We've got this," Cure Heart proclaimed as the five Cures brought out their Love Heart Arrows for the finisher. "Ready, everyone?"

The Demon Tower rushed for the Cures, only for Nick to cast Reflect to keep it at bay.

" _Pretty Cure Lovely Force Arrow!"_ the five Cures chanted, a rainbow-colored heart appearing over them. All at once, they pulled the triggers on their Love Heart Arrows, and the heart exploded into a stream of light energy. Nick dove away from the Demon Tower as the Lovely Force Arrow struck it, exploding into light and destroying the Demon Tower's shell, leaving only its core. Nick settled that by way of a swift Sonic Blade to keep it from trying to reform.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate those things?" Nick groaned.

"Well, at least it's out of the way, right?" Cure Sword laughed.

Cure Heart looked down into the Great Maw and spotted someone charging down a cluster of Neoshadows. "Regina! Hold on, I'm coming!" Cure Heart exclaimed, hopping down the cliff.

"And of course, she ditches us again," Cure Diamond sighed before going after Cure Heart.

"So sorry about that," Cure Rosetta proclaimed before following her friends down the cliff.

"Keep going, Nick," Cure Ace stated. "You're almost there."

Sure enough, Nick could see the end of the Ravine Trail getting closer and closer with each battle he fought.

"Thanks, Ace," Nick replied. "You go and help the others. I've got friends to find."

Cure Ace winked to him before rushing off to catch up with her fellow Cures, leaving Nick to continue running down the Ravine Trail, eventually ending up in a wide-open area sandwiched in between the cliff walls.

"If my intuition is correct..." Nick quipped. Sure enough, a group of Neoshadows, Bruisers, and Crimson Jazz spawned around him.

"Freakin' _called_ it!" Nick shouted, switching to Exalted One and preparing himself for yet another smackdown.

" _Pretty Cure Rolling Mirror Change!"_

" _Pretty Cure Shining Star Symphony!"_

A great burst of light forced the enemies to back away, and Nick turned around to see familiar allies approaching him.

 **("Happiness Charge Pretty Cure! WOW!" by Sayaka Nakaya plays)**

" _The big love spreading throughout the world, Cure Lovely!"_ Cure Lovely, alias Megumi Aino, proclaimed.

" _The blue wind dancing in the sky, Cure Princess!"_ Cure Princess, alias Hime Shirayuki, proclaimed.

" _The light of life flourishing on the earth, Cure Honey!"_ Cure Honey, alias Yuuko Omori, proclaimed.

" _The star of hope that glitters in the night sky, Cure Fortune!"_ Cure Fortune, alias Iona Hikawa, proclaimed.

The four Cures performed their group pose right after their introduction. _"Infused with happiness, charged with glee, we are Happiness Charge Pretty Cure!"_

"It's a good thing you're here, girls," Nick proclaimed.

"Like we'd leave you in the lurch, buddy!" Cure Princess giggled. "We've got an invasion to stomp out, don't we?"

"Couldn't have said it any better," Cure Fortune replied. "Let's bring the house down!"

With that, the four Cures charged into the fray with Nick close behind, having decided that he wanted to help out as well, not just have the Pretty Cures do all the work.

"Let's dance, boys!" Cure Lovely laughed, switching to her Lollipop Hip-Hop form and inadvertently causing all the enemies around her to dance. This gave her the chance to use Pop'n Sonic Attack, creating gigantic musical notes to crush the Neoshadows surrounding her.

Even as a group of Bruisers beared down on her, Cure Lovely simply switched to Cherry Flamenco and began to twirl around like a dancer, fire surrounding her as she did so. After a few spins (and burning a Bruiser who made the mistake of getting too close), Cure Lovely unleashed Passion Dynamite with a cry of "Olé!", the flames around her exploding outwards and wiping out the Bruisers near her.

Cure Princess leaped into the air to avoid the mine bursts of the Crimson Jazz before switching to her Sherbet Ballet form. Once transformed, Cure Princess used Arabesque Shower, proceeding to do ballet steps, snowflakes falling around her as she did so. Once she finished her dance, all of the Crimson Jazz were frozen in blocks of ice. Cure Princess quickly unleashed a Princess Machine Gun to destroy the frozen Heartless even as more Neoshadows surrounded her.

This time, Cure Princess shifted into her Macadamia Hula Dance form and used Hawaiian Alohaloe, once again performing a dance, this time the hula, and causing all of the Neoshadows to dance along with her even as flowers began to gather.

Nick couldn't help but chuckle at the dancing Heartless. _There's a sight you don't see every day,_ Nick thought as he cut down another Crimson Jazz with Ars Arcanum.

Cure Princess struck her final pose, blowing a kiss as the Neoshadows were suddenly obliterated by an upwards burst of white light around Cure Princess.

"Ah, I never get tired of that," Cure Princess giggled.

Cure Honey leaped into the middle of a group of Bruisers and switched to her Popcorn Cheer Form to use Ribbon Heart Explosion, swinging around her Triple Dance Honey Baton and forming a large energy heart underneath her. Cure Honey then proceeded to do various cheerleader moves, the Bruisers doing the same, much to Nick's amusement. After a bit, Cure Honey cut a flip and kicked the energy heart into the air, upon which it exploded, raining down energy beams to destroy the Bruisers.

A group of Armored Knights spawned around Cure Honey, but she just smiled, switching to her Coconuts Samba form and transforming her Triple Dance Honey Baton and splitting it into a pair of maracas. As the Armored Knights approached, Cure Honey performed Maracas Rhythm Spark, yet again causing the enemies to start dancing, more specifically shaking like the maracas in question. After a few seconds, Cure Honey shouted "Mambo!" and slammed the maracas into the ground, creating a shockwave that destroyed the Armored Knights.

"I swear, the 'making enemies dance' shtick is something I never thought I'd enjoy, but you learn something new every day, right?" Nick quipped as he leaped to cut down two more Neoshadows with Exalted One to give Cure Fortune some room to work.

Cure Fortune just smiled as she transformed into Anmitsu Komachi and performed Sakura Blizzard Dance, shaking her Fortune Tambourine while doing a traditional Japanese dance. After one final pose, a storm of sakura petals exploded around her, blowing away all of the enemies that were preparing to attack her.

Even as three Morning Stars appeared, Cure Fortune took a step back to make some room before switching to her Pine Arabian form and playing a tune on her Fortune Tambourine. As she did so, the Morning Stars stopped moving and fell over, as if they were sleeping. Cure Fortune clapped her Fortune Tambourine one last time and pillars of purple light erupted upwards around her, eliminating the Morning Stars quickly.

"Oof, that was a lot of them," Cure Princess admitted as everyone returned to their normal Cure forms. "Are we all done here?"

As if something had been waiting for Cure Princess to say that, yet another Darkside marched up to where they were all standing.

"Okay, I really should learn to keep my mouth shut sometimes," Cure Princess admitted.

"I've thought the same thing about myself," Nick quipped as he prepared to fight.

"Everyone, let's bust out the Dresser and finish this thing off!" Cure Lovely proclaimed.

The four Happiness Charge Pretty Cures put their hands together, a bright light surrounding them as they summoned the Shining Make Dresser for their finishing move.

Four orbs surrounded the Dresser, one in each of the Cure's colors. The Cures raised their arms and snatched the orbs, which turned into glowing pens that they used to press the heart-shaped buttons on the Shining Make Dresser, in a very similar manner to pressing makeup powder with a brush. One by one, they began using the pens to put on make-up as their respective symbols appeared on the dresser's mirror.

Cure Princess then used her pen to trace a blue wing, the symbol of the Blue Sky Kingdom, and send it towards the Shining Make Dresser, causing a strong light to shine from the mirror.

" _Love and..."_ Cure Lovely proclaimed as pink butterfly-shaped wings sprouted from her back.

" _...courage and..."_ Cure Princess proclaimed as blue butterfly-shaped wings sprouted from her back.

" _...kindness..."_ Cure Honey proclaimed as yellow butterfly-shaped wings sprouted from her back.

" _...and fortune, all together!"_ Cure Fortune proclaimed as purple butterfly-shaped wings sprouted from her back.

Together, the four Cures began waving their pens towards the Shining Make Dresser, and the symbols on the mirror began to light up, along with the heart-shaped crest that represented Happiness Charge Pretty Cure materializing on the glass.

" _Deliver it to everyone, the great explosion of happiness! Pretty Cure Happiness Big Bang!"_ the four Cures shouted, pointing their pens towards the Shining Make Dresser once more, and it floated up into the air before unleashing a massive rainbow explosion shaped like a heart that surged towards the Darkside and completely wiped it out.

"And that's that," Cure Honey proclaimed.

"Come on, guys, let's go help out the others!" Cure Princess exclaimed.

"I'm with you, Hime!" Cure Lovely giggled.

"Nick, your friends are up ahead! Get going!" Cure Fortune stated as the four Cures raced off to join the battle with the other Pretty Cures.

Sadly, Nick was once again stopped right in front of the cliffside passage that led into the Crystal Fissure, this time by a pack of Neoshadows and Darkballs.

"Are you _freakin' serious_?!" Nick exclaimed. "Will you damn Heartless just leave me the hell alone?!"

" _Pretty Cure Princess Engage!"_

A wave of energy crowns surged from a nearby passage and wiped out quite a few Darkballs. Nick was surprised to see yet another team of Pretty Cures there, as he assumed that Happiness Charge was the "current" team, as Cure Lovely had so often put it.

 **("Miracle Go! Princess Pretty Cure" by Karin Isobe plays)**

" _Princess of the flourishing flowers, Cure Flora!"_ Cure Flora, alias Haruka Haruno, proclaimed.

" _Princess of the crystal clear seas, Cure Mermaid!"_ Cure Mermaid, alias Minami Kaido, proclaimed.

" _Princess of the twinkling stars, Cure Twinkle!"_ Cure Twinkle, alias Kirara Amanogawa, proclaimed.

The trio performed their group pose after their introductions. _"Strongly, gently, and beautifully, Go! Princess Pretty Cure!"_

"Holy crap, I didn't think there was another Pretty Cure team after the Happiness Charge group," Nick admitted as the trio hopped down from the nearby cliff.

"Well, we haven't been Pretty Cures for very long, honestly," Cure Flora admitted.

"But your Oracle brought us here to assist the other Pretty Cures in ending this battle," Cure Mermaid explained.

"Besides, we would never pass up the chance to help someone in need," Cure Twinkle stated. "After all, that's what real princesses do, right?"

Nick twirled Oathkeeper in his hand as the Heartless approached. "Truer words have never been spoken," Nick stated. "Now let's clean up this infestation!"

A group of Darkballs began zipping through the air, all attempting to take bites out of Cure Flora, but she cartwheeled away before clapping her hands twice, creating a circle of flowers around her hands.

" _Dance, o flowers! Pretty Cure Floral Tourbillion!"_ Cure Flora exclaimed, thrusting her hands forward and sending all of the flowers to attack the Darkballs, driving them back so that Nick could leap in and finish them with a single slash each.

Cure Mermaid leapfrogged across a trio of Neoshadows before landing on the ground and crossing her arms across her chest. A ring of water bubbles rose from the ground to surround her.

" _Roar, o sea! Pretty Cure Mermaid Ripple!"_ Cure Mermaid shouted as she opened her hands, the ring of bubbles forming into a circle of water above her. Cure Mermaid gestured towards the Neoshadows, and the circle of water erupted into a stream that blasted forward and shredded the Neoshadows into little wisps of darkness.

A line of Scrappers appeared, all marching towards Cure Twinkle in a straight line. Cure Twinkle smiled and placed her hands on her hips, causing the star on her belt to start glowing. A stream of golden stars began to flow from Cure Twinkle's belt and congregate above her into one large golden star.

" _Glitter, o stars! Pretty Cure Twinkle Humming!"_ Cure Twinkle exclaimed, catching the star by one of its points and rolling it like a bowling ball towards the Scrappers, who couldn't break formation in time and were destroyed by the rolling star of doom.

Nick raised Oathkeeper as five more Darkballs surrounded him, and when one of them went to take a bite, Nick snapped Oathkeeper down and unleashed what appeared to be a combination of his Explosion and Ripple Drive finishers, starting as a spiral of light orbs around him, then finishing with a ruby-colored lattice barrier sphere exploding outwards from the point of impact.

 _Wow, never thought to combine them before,_ Nick thought. _I think I'll call this combo... "Ripple Burst". Sounds cool._

"And that's all of 'em!" Cure Flora exclaimed.

"We did pretty good against these monsters, didn't we?" Cure Mermaid quipped.

"Regardless, we'd better get moving," Cure Twinkle proclaimed. "You should, too, Nick. Your friends are waiting for you."

And as the Princess Pretty Cures dashed off to join the grand battle, Nick steeled himself and walked through the gap in the cliffside into the Crystal Fissure, where Maylin, Marie, and Elyon were all waiting.

"Oh, _there_ you are, Nick," Elyon stated. "We were waiting for a while."

"Yeah, I kinda got sidetracked by a _freakin' crapton_ of Heartless on the way here," Nick quipped. "That and some other weird type of monsters..."

"Wait, you fought those things, too?" Maylin gasped. "Any idea what they are?"

"No clue, but I'm just gonna call them the Unversed until we can get an answer," Nick stated.

"Sounds like you've been doing a whole ton of fighting," Marie wondered.

"Well, to be honest, I had a lot of help, too," Nick answered. "At least _ten_ different teams of Pretty Cures showed up along the way to help me against the Heartless and the Unversed."

"Wow, I didn't think there were that many," Maylin quipped. "Haruka would have gone nuts..."

Maylin quickly shut herself up after saying that, as the implications were still weighing heavily on her.

"Hey, you guys!"

Nick instantly spun around at the familiar voice, and, if he was being honest with himself, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Haruka was standing at the entrance to the Crystal Fissure, waving happily to the rest of the group with Divine Rose clutched tightly in her right hand. She looked no worse for wear with the exception of a small bump on her head where the rock had hit her.

"H-Haruka? Oh, my _god_ , are you actually alive?!" Maylin exclaimed as Haruka made her way over to everyone else.

"What, you thought I was _dead_?" Haruka teased.

" _Yes,_ you doofus!" Maylin shouted. "You weren't responding after that! I couldn't feel anything!"

"Trust me, Maylin, I get whacked on the head all the damn time," Haruka giggled. "And honestly, it just KOed me for a bit. I actually woke up a little bit after you guys left to fight the big fight. Trust me, if I was dead, I would _never_ stop haunting you."

Nick couldn't help but chuckle at that, even as Marie walked over and hugged him in sheer relief.

Maylin simply huffed before summoning Spellbinder, twirling it in her hands before smashing it right into Haruka's knees, causing her to collapse and clutch the spot where she'd been struck.

"H-Hey, what the _hell_ was that...?!" Haruka started, only to be cut short when Maylin hugged her tightly. "M-Maylin?"

"I _really_ thought you were dead, you jerk..." Maylin cried. "We thought you were _gone_!"

Haruka sighed before hugging Maylin back. "Easy, doofer. I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

Maylin looked up at Haruka. "P-Promise?"

"Promise," Haruka responded. "I already died once, remember? I don't feel like pushing my luck."

"We're almost there, you guys," Elyon proclaimed. "I can feel the darkness growing closer."

"Well, then let's join the other Pretty Cures and _end_ this long and drawn-out battle already!" Nick exclaimed.

And so, after about a minute or so to recuperate from all the battles they'd fought over the course of the day, the group exited the Crystal Fissure and crossed into the Great Maw, where dozens upon dozens of Pretty Cures were all battling hordes of Heartless and Nobodies.

"Looks like they've got this place under control," Maylin stated.

Nick took a step forward, only for a corridor of darkness to open in front of them and allow Future Lily to step out, still clutching the No Name in her right hand.

"And just what are _you_ doing back here, poser?!" Marie growled.

"Oh, I figured I'd give you an idea of what you're messing with," Future Lily proclaimed, spreading her arms wide and causing streams of darkness to flow out from her body and form into three large monsters.

The Alpha Armor contained the main Unversed's torso and head. Its head was diamond-shaped and grey with red eyes set in an angry expression, the front of its body was adorned with a large, light blue, U-shaped additive with black edges lined by four shirt spikes, and its "neck" was thin, black, and curled forward. The Unversed symbol was printed on the end of the neck. On either side of its neck, the Unversed had two red "arms" that ended in black, triangular blades, each with a yellow stripe on them.

The Beta Armor was cone-shaped and red with black, spiked additives decorating it. Its base was black with gold lining and four thin, black, propeller-like blades with a gold stripe near their tips attached to its top. Its red eyes are on the small spike on its top, and the Unversed emblem is on its front.

The Gamma Armor resembled a set of three, segmented, red legs with black and grey joints, the top of the center leg sporting two red eyes and acting as the Unversed's "head". The Unversed emblem was small and on the center leg, right below the eyes. Each leg ended in triangular, black feet.

"What the _hell_?!" Maylin shouted.

"The Unversed come from _you_?!" Haruka proclaimed.

"Nice to see you're not as dumb as some would take you for," Future Lily responded. "Yes, they come from me. In my despair, I found I could spawn these amazing creatures to fight for me. After all, they are what I feel, a horde of fledgling emotions under my complete dominion. And the best part? No matter how many times you defeat them, their negativity flows right back into me."

"So, the only way we're going to stop them for good is if we take _you_ out?" Nick proclaimed.

"Like _that's_ ever going to happen," Future Lily laughed before stepping back into the corridor of darkness as it vanished.

The three Unversed began to assemble themselves, each individual components changing shape in the process. The Alpha Armor changed the least, with its head gaining a horn and becoming black and sleeker. The Beta Armor compacted, then split in two to form the arms of this combination monster, the black and gold base becoming the complete creature's armguards and its black and red body becoming two shoulder pauldrons. Thick, light grey arms and black, four-fingered hands revealed themselves from under the Beta Armor's plating. The Gamma Armor's side legs stayed mostly the same as they were before, though the black feet were replaced with more ornate red and black feet, with the center leg retracting into itself and flipping upside down. The completed Trinity Armor sported three Unversed symbols, one for each of its components.

"Oh, that is all _kinds_ of nope," Maylin proclaimed.

"We need to take this thing out," Nick responded. _"Now."_

The Trinity Armor slowly floated towards the group as it raised its hands and attempted to punch them, only for its fists to crash into a shield of light that had formed by a lone figure standing in front of them.

 **("Pretty Cure ~Eien no Tomodachi~" by Mayu Kudou plays)**

"I'm not too late, am I?" the figure asked.

"Nope, you're just in time!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Right, then," the figure stated, performing her pose. _"Delivering my feelings, Cure Echo!"_

The Trinity Armor wasn't fazed, simply rising into the air and coming down by slamming its legs into the ground, unleashing a dark shockwave that forced the group to scatter.

"Oh, you can go _straight_ to hell, jackass!" Maylin shouted, leaping over Cure Echo to slash at the Trinity Armor's legs a couple times, nearly disconnecting them with a Magic Hour. Suddenly, the Trinity Armor's legs swung back and lurched forward, kicking Maylin in the head and sending her falling back for Nick to catch.

"You okay there?" Nick asked. Maylin responded by kissing him on the cheek. "I guess you are."

"And I'm gonna _hurt_ that thing," Maylin growled, readying a super spell coin even as Cure Echo continued to basically start punching the Trinity Armor in the gut, most likely to give Maylin the opening she needed.

Maylin twirled Counterpoint around in dramatic fashion before tossing the super spell coin into the air. _"Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! THUNDAJA!"_ Maylin shouted before striking the coin.

A circle of light beams surrounded the Trinity Armor as it continued to defend itself from Cure Echo. Cure Echo wisely leaped away as multiple bolts of lightning began to bombard the Trinity Armor from all sides before three wicked thunderbolts cracked down all at once, followed by another bombardment of regular lightning bolts, and finishing with one final, bluish-white thunderbolt surging down into the Trinity Armor and causing a great explosion of electricity that did massive damage and forced the Trinity Armor's components to separate again.

Cure Echo ducked under a swipe from the Beta Armor's fists, then struck back with a flying kick to knock it away. To her surprise, the three components began to fly into the air.

"Oh, no you don't," Maylin proclaimed, grabbing another super spell coin. "You're not getting away from _me_! _"Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! FIRAJA!"_

Eight gigantic spheres of fire, resembling meteors, appeared and began to orbit around the three components. After a few seconds, the meteors all converged on the components at once, exploding into a geyser of flames that shot straight to the sky. When the flames dissipated, the Beta Armor had been destroyed.

The Gamma Armor came back down and began to stomp all over the place, creating shockwaves with each step. Haruka dodged through the shockwaves and unleashed a Tremor, knocking the Gamma Armor around so Maylin could ready _another_ super spell coin.

"Maylin, isn't that _three_ super spells in a row? Aren't you wiped out?" Haruka asked.

"I've been getting much, _much_ better with these," Maylin quipped. "So I can use at least four before I need to take a break. But enough talk, let's flash-freeze this bitch! _Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! BIZZAJA!"_

A large cloud of extremely sharp icicles surrounded the Gamma Armor, as did five large and spiky ice crystals. The ice crystals attacked first, ping-ponging all over the Gamma Armor and doing large amounts of damage, followed by the cloud of icicles, all attacking at once. While this was happening, four blocks of ice appeared around the Gamma Armor. Before it could even comprehend what was about to happen, the blocks erupted into four gigantic stalactites of ice, each one piercing through the Gamma Armor's body and destroying it.

However, a few seconds after the Gamma Armor bit the dust, the Beta Armor reformed where it had initially been destroyed.

"Wait, _what_?!" Maylin exclaimed. "That is _so_ frickin' unfair!"

"Maybe we need to destroy all three components at once so it'll stay down," Nick quipped.

"If you can gather them all together and make it so they can't get away, I think I might be able to take care of that," Cure Echo replied, spreading her arms out. "Just give me a bit to power up."

"You heard the lady, you guys!" Maylin exclaimed. "We need to cover Cure Echo so she can finish this thing off! Let's pour on the hurt!"

With that, the group all activated their Style Changes and went to work, fighting off the Trinity Armor's components until Cure Echo was ready.

At one point, the Alpha Armor fired a large laser from its "torso", only for Nick to quickly hop in front of Cure Echo and cast Reflega, sending the laser straight back to the Alpha Armor and stunning it.

"Okay, I'm ready!" Cure Echo shouted. "Get them in one place and I'll end it!"

"Maylin!" Nick shouted.

"Way ahead of you, Nick!" Maylin exclaimed.

Both Nick and Maylin raised their keyblades and cast Magnega at the same time, trapping the Trinity Armor's components inbetween two large spheres of magnetic force.

Cure Echo raised her hands and spread them wide, a golden sphere of light forming above her. _"Resonate throughout the world, the feelings of everyone! Pretty Cure Heartful Echo!"_ Cure Echo shouted, thrusting her hand forward to fire the sphere into the center of the space between the two Magnega spells. After a few seconds, the sphere expanded outwards and eventually exploded in a great burst of light that destroyed all three components at the same time, leaving nothing but a small stream of darkness that eventually vanished.

"And one more Unversed creep gets the ownage!" Maylin exclaimed. "Just _try_ and stop us!"

"You guys should get to the Dark Depths," Cure Echo proclaimed. "It's just ahead. That's where I felt the strongest surge of darkness."

"Then that's where we're headed," Marie stated as the group's Style Changes faded away. "Let's finally end this nightmare!"

The group weaved through the many different groups of Pretty Cures that were still fighting the enemy, and eventually found their way to the Dark Depths, where a lone hooded figure was standing, with amber-orange eyes and long silver hair.

"And you're supposed to be...?" Nick quipped.

"Xehanort!" Elyon shouted, having just arrived on the scene. "Or, should I say, Xemnas?"

"Wait, this guy's the leader of the Organization?!" Haruka shouted.

Xemnas looked up to the sky. "How long has it been since I abandoned that name?" Xemnas asked nobody in particular.

"Answer me, freak!" Elyon shouted, summoning Royal Radiance and dashing forward to attack, only for Xemnas to open a corridor of darkness around him just as Elyon leaped for him. Xemnas closed the corridor, and when it was gone, both of them had vanished completely.

"Your Majesty, wait!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Talk about falling right into a trap," a voice stated. Nick looked over to the right, and leaning against the cliffside was another hooded figure with blue eyes and short black hair. In her hands was a keyblade resembling Nick's original Kingdom Key.

"Come on, don't tell me you don't see it?" Xion stated. "Xemnas is using you to defeat the Heartless as part of his big master plan."

"Wait, wait, I'm confused about two things," Maylin answered. "Why does Organization XIII want to get rid of the Heartless? Isn't that counter-productive to them being here in the first place?"

Xion just sighed in exasperation. "Do I really have to explain it?" Xion groaned. "Every Heartless slain by the keyblade releases a captive heart. That's what the Organization is after."

"Then, what are they going to do with the hearts?" Haruka asked.

"I can't say," Xion answered. "I'm already risking a lot by telling you this."

"And that's my other question!" Maylin exclaimed. "Why would a member of the Organization be _helping us?!_ You'll have to forgive me if I call _bullshit_ on that!"

"I know you probably don't trust me, but... I'm technically not part of the Organization," Xion admitted before tensing up as another corridor of darkness opened nearby. "Oh, crap! If anyone asks, you didn't see me!"

Xion opened her own corridor of darkness to escape just as Saïx appeared from his own.

"We'll ensure she receives the maximum punishment," Saïx stated.

"I'm only going to ask this once, you freak," Nick growled. "What the _hell_ did you do with our queen?!"

Saïx simply laughed. "Are you angry?" Saïx asked. "Do you hate me for what I have done? Then take that rage and direct it at the Heartless."

Saïx snapped his fingers, causing several Armored Knights to spawn behind him.

"Pitiful Heartless, mindlessly collecting hearts," Saïx proclaimed, looking to the sky. "And yet they know not the true power of what they hold. The rage of the keyblade releases those hearts. They gather in darkness, masterless and free... until they weave together to make Kingdom Hearts. And when that time comes, we can truly, finally exist."

"Just what in the hell are you babbling about, you spiky-haired clown?"

Nick raised his keyblade in preparation when Red, of all people, appeared behind them in a flash of evil-looking red light.

"I don't know if you Organizers have heard yet, but Kingdom Hearts rightfully belongs to _me_!" Red proclaimed. "The heart of all worlds... the heart of everything that lives and breathes... a dominion fit to be called Kingdom Hearts must be _my dominion_ , no matter what anyone else says!"

"Seriously, Red, stop with the Heartless! This _isn't_ the time!" Nick shouted.

"I don't take orders from a brat!" Red growled, raising his staff to summon a group of Nightwalkers that quickly surrounded Saïx.

"You fool," Saïx proclaimed, snapping his fingers and summoning a small pack of Dusks to attack the Nightwalkers, rather easily winning. After the Nightwalkers were gone, the Dusks turned their attention to Nick and his friends.

"Not good," Marie quipped.

Just then, Red teleported in front of Nick, raising his staff and creating a massive wall of flames to block him off from Saïx.

"Listen, boy," Red proclaimed. "I will keep these creatures at bay while you find a way to vanquish them for good!"

"Why would you help us _now_?" Haruka asked, mentally lampshading the irony.

"Oh, don't misunderstand me," Red answered. "I _will_ have my revenge on you soon enough. Just you watch."

The Dusks all leaped at Red, overtaking him and pulling him down beneath them despite his best attempts to resist.

"Leave, _now_!" Red shouted.

"I don't take orders from a dictator!" Nick growled, echoing Red's earlier words.

When the pile of Dusks stopped squirming, the wall of flames dissipated completely.

"Now then. Where did we leave off?" Saïx stated, once again snapping his fingers to summon an army of Armored Knights.

"Hey, hey, which side are you numbnuts on, anyway?!" Maylin shouted, raising Spellbinder to defend herself from the Armored Knights.

"The Heartless only listen to whoever is the strongest," Saïx answered.

An Armored Knight slid forward in an attempt to stab Nick, only for Nick to instinctively slash at the Armored Knight with the Kingdom Key, destroying it easily and releasing a bunch of energy hearts into the sky. Saïx grinned viciously at the display.

"Yes, Nick. Extract more hearts for us," Saïx proclaimed before vanishing into a corridor of darkness.

"No, damn it, come back!" Nick gasped, only to raise the Kingdom Key when the Armored Knights began to corner them at the edge of the cliff overlooking the castle in the distance.

* * *

Cure Peach knocked away another Lance Soldier, sending it to Cure Passion so she could slash at it with her Passion Harp and destroy it, only to stop and gaze towards the horizon, where she saw a great burst of light erupt into a beam of light that shot into the sky.

"Oh, no," Cure Peach gasped, knowing that kind of energy could only be coming from a few people in particular. "Nick and the girls are in trouble! Setsuna, we need to go and help them!"

To Cure Peach's surprise, Cure Passion just shook her head and smiled. "Don't worry, okay, Love? Those four aren't going down _that_ easily," Cure Passion admitted.

Cure Peach settled down, knowing that Cure Passion was right, as she'd seen Nick fighting earlier, and decided to sit down by Cure Passion, their arms draped around each other. They knew the battle was almost over, anyway.

"The keyblade's chosen one," Cure Passion stated. "He's one lucky kid."

"See you soon, guys," Cure Peach proclaimed.

* * *

"I guess sometimes you get help from unexpected places," Nick admitted as he gazed out at the Lanes Between.

"True that," Maylin replied.

Nick reflected back on what had happened before they'd all returned to the Gummi Ship.

* * *

Even as he moved to defend himself from the Armored Knights, Nick couldn't help but reflect on what he'd learned about the Organization's plans. And if what Future Lily said was true, it was happening all over again in this dimension.

"Maybe... everything we've done..." Nick mumbled. "Maybe it was all for nothing. I mean, what the hell am I supposed to do if I can't even use the keyblade?!"

" _You complete idiots! I can't trust you to do anything, can I?"_

"Who said that?" Haruka asked "Was that Red?"

Before anyone could figure out where Red's voice had come from, the group suddenly felt themselves sinking into the ground. Nick chanced a glance downward and saw that a large pool of darkness had opened up underneath them, pulling them all in.

When Nick finally decided to open his eyes, he found himself standing in a strange, eerie cavern surrounded by nothing but a dark void.

"Oooooookay..." Nick stated. "Where the hell are we now?"

"We're in the realm of darkness," Maylin answered. Nick was relieved to turn around and see that Maylin, Haruka, and Marie were all right.

"You've all been here before?" Nick wondered.

"Only once," Haruka admitted. "It's really not a pleasant place to be."

"We got sent here while dealing with that future version of your daughter," Maylin explained. "She obviously thought we'd be stuck wandering this place forever, but we proved to be smarter than her!"

"Is there any way we can get out?" Marie asked. "We _really_ have to go after the freaks."

"My guess is that we'd have to find something to unlock a gate before we can get back to the Gummi Ship," Maylin answered. "Last time, we got lucky and found an open portal back to the realm of light."

Nick gazed around the strange cliffs and caverns, only to notice a black-cloaked figure just ahead holding a blue box.

"All right, wise guy, give it up!" Maylin shouted, summoning Spellbinder and rushing to attack the figure, only for it to disappear, leaving behind the box. "Hmmmm... what's in here?"

"Are you sure you wanna open that?" Haruka asked, but Maylin had already opened the box and emptied its contents, oddly just a single picture.

"Oh, that's bunk," Maylin quipped, only to take another look at the picture and realize that she was staring at six very familiar people. "H-Hey, these are the Guardians!"

Haruka walked over to confirm, a strange expression on her face. "They look older," Haruka stated. "Like, a good fifteen years older."

"Maybe these are the Guardians from Lily's time," Nick responded. "After all, she did say she came from around sixteen years in the future."

"Ooh, Nick, you're there, too," Maylin giggled, pointing to the older Nick in the picture, who has his arms around the older Cornelia. "Looks like you two hit it off beautifully."

"I guess we did," Nick quipped.

"Everything okay, fearless leader?" Haruka asked.

"I just... I keep thinking about everything that other dimension Lily went through to turn her into what she is now," Nick admitted. "I'm just worried that _my_ Lily could have become the same way if... if she had..."

Maylin leaned over to give Nick a kiss, knowing what he was probably thinking.

"Hey, don't worry," Maylin giggled. "Lily's an awesome kid. She _has_ to be, because she's got _you_ for a father. She won't turn out like that other Lily, I'm damn sure of that."

"And after all, your Lily came back to fix what was broken," Haruka continued. "She didn't succumb to the darkness like _that_ Lily did."

"That's the big difference between accepting fate and fighting fate," Marie finished.

Nick couldn't resist smiling, despite everything. He really did have the best friends ever, didn't he?

Suddenly, the picture began glowing, much to everyone's surprise.

"Holy crap, is that our ticket out of here?" Maylin gasped.

"Must be," Nick stated, the Kingdom Key's teeth glowing. "Because we got a signal."

Energy began to gather around Kingdom Key's teeth, before eventually absorbing into the ground below Nick and creating the shape of a crown under his feet. As wind began to swirl around Nick's body as he channeled his power, the glow surrounding the picture created a wave of light that eventually formed into a large keyhole in the sky.

Nick jumped back, spinning Kingdom Key a few times before aiming and firing a beam of light from the keyblade into the keyhole. Reality seemed to shatter in a large circle around the keyhole, lines of light flowing into it before creating a bright flare that caused the keyhole to disappear.

* * *

Somewhere far away, within the White Room, Xemnas and three hooded members of the Organization could be seen waiting for someone to return. A few seconds passed before Saïx appeared in his chair.

"Nick now knows the truth," Saïx proclaimed. "With every Heartless he defeats, he gets that much closer to becoming our perfect puppet. However, this knowledge will no doubt make it much harder for us to control him."

"Oh, what does it really matter in the end?" Xigbar laughed. "The circumstances don't matter. Nick has never been able to keep himself from saving people when the Heartless are involved. It's just what his pure little heart would want."

Luxord tossed a pair of dice into the air before reaching up to catch them. "The die has been cast," Luxord stated. "Our plans are in motion and he can't stop it."

"Do not forget, nothing is set in stone," Xaldin proclaimed, idly waving one of his lances in Luxord's direction. "If the dice aren't in your favor, then you will share the fate of the others."

Luxord wasn't fazed, simply rolling the dice between his fingers. "Well, the fun is in not knowing, right?" Luxord answered. "After all, what is the point of betting on something when you already know how it will turn out?"

"Okay, but are you sure that taking his scrawny ass out won't derail our plans?" Xigbar asked.

"If he is to die so easily, then he is of no use to us," Xemnas proclaimed.

Xaldin grinned evilly. "That's pretty much exactly what I wanted to hear. You know it's not in my nature to hold back."

* * *

"I wonder who that hooded figure was that left us the photo?" Haruka asked. "Maybe it might be a clue?"

"Probably," Marie answered. "After all, the Organization came from the future, so maybe the key to finishing them off comes from the future, too. I've really never been one for conjecture, but..."

"Hey, guys, the road is open!" Maylin exclaimed, pointing towards the many worlds on the map of the Lanes Between. Every single one of them, including Heatherfield and Candracar, were open, and the Happiness Charge Pretty Cures had called them a few minutes ago to ensure that the battle had been won, despite the strange way it had ended.

"Okay, but that means we've got a big conundrum," Nick quipped. "What if the Heartless are causing trouble again? If I use the keyblade, it's only going to help the Organization further whatever their master plan is..."

"Thing is, I think you've _gotta_ keep using it," Maylin admitted. "If you don't do anything, the Heartless are just going to keep hurting people."

"And you promised to always fight the darkness, right, Nick?" Haruka stated. "We're kinda in the same boat as you, what with being keyblade wielders."

"Yeah, let's just play things by ear until we can find out wherever the Organization's hiding, then no matter how much they've progressed, we'll stomp them into the dirt," Marie proclaimed. "We won't let you do this alone, okay, big bro?"

"Never thought I was alone," Nick stated. "Not when I have a bunch of wonderful friends to back me up."

"That's the spirit, Nick!" Maylin giggled.

"Now, how about we visit the worlds again and see if there's anything we can help out with?" Haruka asked.

"I'm all for that," Nick answered.

Before Haruka could take the controls, the Gummi Ship suddenly started shaking before coasting off of its own will towards Candracar.

"That wasn't you, was it, Haruka?" Maylin asked.

"Nope, the ship's moving all on its own," Haruka replied. "Maybe the Oracle's summoning us for something."

 _For what, though?_ Nick thought. _After everything that we just went through, too..._

* * *

"You wanted to see us, Your Majesty?" Nick asked once the four keyblade wielders found themselves standing before Himerish.

"Yes, I am the one who called you here," Himerish proclaimed, summoning the Master Keeper to his hands. "As you are no doubt aware, thanks to the great battle you have just fought, a terrible darkness now threatens the worlds. Not just the Organization, but also this other version of your future daughter that seeks to erase everything."

Nick glanced at the Kingdom Key in his hands.

"Pardon my bluntness, Your Majesty, but if you know what we're fighting, then why are we just standing around talking?" Maylin proclaimed. "After all, Elyon got herself lost in the darkness trying to fend those jerks off!"

"Rest assured, Elyon will be fine," Himerish responded. "As the Light of Meridian, she will not be so easily conquered by the dark realm. But, you are right. You must know why I have called you back to Candracar."

Himerish gazed up to the ethereal sky of Candracar. "As you know, I foresee many things. Often, I see dark forces that may attempt to conquer this holy sanctuary, and if so, I take steps to ensure that such dark visions will not come to pass."

Maylin didn't like where this was going. "Did you see something in your visions?" Maylin asked.

"Yes," Himerish answered. "Though it is far away, and I am unable to see clearly what it is, all I am sure of is that sometime in the future, whatever this force is, it will threaten not just Candracar, but all worlds."

Nick just sighed in frustration. "Should have figured," Nick stated.

"Alas, that force will not trouble us for quite some time, but I wish to prepare you for it," Himerish explained. "Time and time again, you have fought with strength that belies your young age, tenacity that surprises even me, and a pure desire to fight for what is right. That is why I believe you are ready."

"Ready?" Marie asked. "For what, exactly?"

Himerish smiled, a rare sight even in his good moods, and he actually opened his eyes.

"To show us the Mark of Mastery."

This was a shock to everyone present, as a chorus of loud gasps resounded in the Throne Room.

"You want to make us Keyblade Masters, Your Majesty?" Haruka asked.

"Y-You're not pulling our legs, are you?" Maylin gasped. "That's all I've dreamed of... to be a Keyblade Master like Aqua..."

"Then this is your chance," Himerish stated. "As a Keyblade Master myself, I have the authority and power to begin the Mark of Mastery Exam."

"Then... what would you have us do?" Nick asked.

"Simply return to the worlds you have helped," Himerish explained. "And fight off whatever evils may still be lurking there. No doubt the Organization wishes to cause chaos. And... I would have you bring me these three individuals."

Himerish waved the Master Keeper and created an image of the odd trio that Nick had seen in one of Flandre's drawings, that he'd seen hopping through portals all over the place.

"Who are they, Your Majesty?" Marie asked.

"Sora, Donald, and Goofy," Himerish answered. "They are the heroes of the keyblade in the dimension that the other Lily came from. They have been attempting to find their way home, no doubt due to the interference of Lily and forces from their dimension."

"Yeah, the future Lily said that Sora had defeated the Organization in that dimension before," Nick stated. "Maybe he's just trying to get back to his dimension."

"That is the exam I would have you take," Himerish proclaimed. "Return to the worlds, defeat the evils that lurk, and bring Sora and his friends to me so that I may safely return them to their home. Complete this task, and I will name all four of you Keyblade Masters."

"I promise, I _will not_ let you down, Your Majesty!" Maylin exclaimed, standing at rapt attention.

"You never have, young mage," Himerish stated. "Good luck to you all."

Haruka activated her computer to teleport the group back to the Gummi Ship, leaving Himerish alone to ponder the implications of his recent vision.

"I sincerely hope I am wrong about this vision," Himerish admitted. "If it is indeed true, then they will _need_ to become Keyblade Masters... to stand up to _her_."

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Zero/One  
** _Strength:_ **14  
** _Magic:_ **10  
** _Ability:_ **MP Hastega  
** _Description:_ A keyblade newly wrought within the datascape and representing a virtual world's last hope. Possesses remarkable strength, and increases MP restoration speed by 75% during MP Charge. Equip more to increase the effect.

* * *

 _New summon acquired!_

 **Mega Drive, Saturn, and Dreamcast, the Sega Hard Girls  
** _Drive Gauge Points Needed:_ **4  
** _Purpose:_ Assist in combat with various powerful attacks and elemental attacks. Each Sega Hard Girl has their own finishing move that is dependent on their Charge Gauge. If Nick falls in battle, Saturn will revive Nick to full health once per summon.  
 _Limit Attack:_ **Crazy Taxi** , where the Sega Hard Girls commandeer a large taxi to attack enemies. Steer with the left stick and charge with [] or X.  
 _Charge Gauge_ : For every Heartless or Nobody killed, the Charge Gauge fills 1/6th. For every Unversed killed, the Charge Gauge fills 1/3rd. A full Charge Gauge for any Sega Hard Girl allows usage of their finishing move.  
 _Finishing Move:_ **Saturn Nova** , where Saturn uses her staves to rain down lasers from the sky in a wide area around her, **Gold Number** , where Mega Drive traps the enemy in a large cube for Nick to attack, and **Dream Blade Special** , where Dreamcast assaults a single target with a rapid flurry of sword attacks.

* * *

 _New Drive Form acquired!_

 **Master Form  
** _Form Focus:_ Merge with the spirits of Maylin and Haruka to attain both great strength and great magical power.  
 _Drive Gauge Points Used:_ **4  
** _Advancing Form Ability_ **:** **Aerial Dodge** (Press O in midair to jump again. Useful for dodging enemy attacks.)  
 _Action Abilities:  
_ **Master Strike:** Unleashes a powerful finishing combo move that successively attacks a single target.  
 **Disaster:** Unleashes a powerful finishing combo move that draws in several enemies and successively deals damage.  
 **Master Magic:** Powers up magic.  
 _Support Abilities:  
_ **Synch Blade:** Equips a keyblade in each hand. The ability of the left hand weapon becomes available as well.  
 **Endless Magic:** Unleashes magic combos endlessly.  
 **Air Combo Plus:** Increases maximum combo by one step when in midair. Equip more to enable more combos.  
 **Draw:** Draws in and obtains nearby orbs. Equip two to obtain far orbs.  
 **MP Hastera:** Increases MP restoration speed by 50% after MP is fully consumed. Equip more to increase the effect.

* * *

On the next episode:

Maylin: And so, our Mark of Mastery Exam has begun! Ooh, I can't believe I might finally get my chance to become a Keyblade Master after so long! Just you wait, Aqua, I'll catch up to you in no time!

Nick: And first up on our collection of the "evils that lurk", apparently, is what appears to be the horse from hell.

Haruka: H-Hey, Ren, don't charge that thing so recklessly!

Marie: It sounds like Ren's got a stake against that thing. Well, I don't want him to get himself killed, especially when he's got someone to come home to, as it were!

Maylin: Spoken like a true master already, Marie! Let's send this thing back to the shadows it crawled out of!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "Closer and Closer"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	14. Closer and Closer

"How much longer are you going to keep bouncing in your seat, Maylin?" Haruka asked as the Gummi Ship left Candracar.

"I can't help myself! I'm just so excited!" Maylin giggled. "I'm finally getting my chance to prove that I can be a Keyblade Master! Man, Aqua would be _so_ proud of me right now..."

"Speaking of which, where _are_ those guys?" Marie wondered. "We haven't seen them since we pulled Terra out of the darkness."

"Maybe they're trying to find a way to free the Land of Departure from darkness," Nick answered. "After all, the only way to do that is to find the keyhole, and I don't think any of us knows where it is."

"Wouldn't it usually pop up whenever a keyblade wielder gets near it?" Haruka asked. "That's usually how it works, right?"

"Aqua actually told me that the Land of Departure is a special world, one that sits between light and darkness," Maylin answered. "So it's not like a normal world in that sense."

Haruka gazed out at the vistas of the Lanes Between, towards all the worlds they'd visited so far on this adventure. "Hey, guys? Question," Haruka asked. "Where should we go first?"

"How about we just go in order again?" Maylin stated. "Start from the beginning and work our way around."

"Good idea," Nick quipped. "I kinda want to see how Ruby and Weiss are doing."

"Yeah, time to go visit Beacon Academy's Couple of the Year!" Maylin giggled as Haruka began piloting the Gummi Ship towards the World of Remnant, noticing that there was now another city attached to the structure that represented the world. Before, there had just been the Schnee Dust Company manor and the city of Oniyuri, where they'd fought the Shadow Stalker and Dark Thorn.

And, if Haruka was being honest with herself, she didn't like the sight of the strange creature standing in that new city. It almost looked like something out of her nightmares.

And that usually meant bad news when it came to them.

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** The Mark of Mastery Exam has begun, and the first return trip is to Remnant, where a grotesque monster is attacking Team RNJR in the ruined city of Kuroyuri. But despite the threat of the Nuckelavee, the real danger may be Xaldin, who apparently has plans of his own. Which side will come out on top in this battle?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **For Today's World:** Now, we're returning to each of the worlds we've visited so far, in the order they were originally visited. First up is RWBY, from Rooster Teeth. As for timeline placement, this takes place during the final battle of Volume 4's final episode, "No Safe Haven".

* * *

Episode 14: Closer and Closer

"Oof, did we really have to land in the creepy forest area?" Marie groaned as the group continued to slash their way through obstructing bushes in hopes of finding Team RNJR. "This place gives me the creeps."

"And I have a feeling we're being watched," Haruka quipped, summoning Divine Rose in preparation.

"Probably some Grimm looking for a meal," Nick stated, easily catching the many pairs of red eyes watching them from the shadows. "Hey, freaks, I know you're there. If you want some, come out and get some!"

And sure enough, a pack of Beowolves leaped out from the darkness towards them, but Maylin quickly summoned Spellbinder and cast Reflect around the group to shield them.

"Welp, I guess it's time to clean some house," Marie stated, summoning Rainfell and slashing at a Beowolf even as it attempted to cleave her in half with its powerful claws.

However, most of the Beowolves stopped attacking the group after a few seconds before marching off in pursuit of a new target.

"Hey, why are you running, cowards?!" Maylin shouted.

"Um, probably because of _that_?!" Nick proclaimed, pointing just ahead towards the monster that the Beowolves were now circling.

The monster in question resembled a large, brown tree, its trunk splitting into three large branches which, in turn, forked into three more branches, giving it nine branches covered with green leaves. Purple fruit resembling whole apples and blue fruit with a longer, more conical shape hung from its branches. It had four thick roots that acted as the monster's legs, and there were three red thorns on each of these roots. The monster's mouth was a jagged, black opening in the trunk, and it had a vertical split in its trunk between its eyes, red eyes set in a sorrowful expression and the Unversed insignia emblazoned just under its mouth.

"Oh, great, we've got a big bad _tree_ now," Haruka groaned.

"And it's a freakin' _Unversed_ ," Nick stated. "Lovely."

As three Beowolves lunged forward to attack the Unversed, no doubt drawn by the Unversed's negative emotions, the Mad Treant simply spun around with its branches extended and sliced through the Beowolves, leaving their halved bodies to crash into the ground and evaporate into black mist.

And then it turned to face the group, opening its mouth to roar loudly.

"Oh, you can forget it!" Maylin shouted, casting Firaga and shooting it straight into the Mad Treant's open mouth, where it exploded and sent the giant Unversed reeling.

In response, the Mad Treant slammed its roots into the ground so it could attack from below, forcing the group to stay on the move as its roots came back up under them.

Nick leapfrogged off of Maylin's shoulders so he could get enough height to fire a Thunder spell into the Mad Treant's mouth and cause it to stumble again.

The Mad Treant didn't take too lightly to this, leaping into the air after retracting its roots and coming down with a powerful shockwave stomp that everyone had to leap over to avoid. Even so, the Mad Treant began to shake its head, causing the purple fruit to begin flying off of its branches and create puddles of eerie purple goo on the ground.

One of the apples flew head-on into Haruka, who was unable to dodge in time due to avoiding the shockwave, drenching her in the purple goo.

"Guys... I... I suddenly don't... feel so good..." Haruka gasped, dropping to her knees and clutching at her chest.

"Haruka?!" Nick exclaimed. "What did that thing do to you?!"

"Those purple apple things must have poisoned her!" Maylin shouted, turning her attention to the Mad Treant. "You're gonna pay for that one, jerkoff! I already almost lost Haruka. I'm _not_ losing her to a damn _tree_!"

The Mad Treant continued to waddle closer as Maylin prepared a super spell coin, dipping its head down to fire a series of fireballs straight towards Maylin, only for a wave of ice spikes to travel along the ground from somewhere far off and surround the Mad Treant, freezing it in place.

Nick looked around, eventually spotting Weiss standing there with Myrtenaster armed.

"Finish it off, Maylin!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Oh, you'd better believe I will," Maylin proclaimed, tossing her super spell coin into the air. "This is what you get for poisoning one of my best friends, bark breath! _Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! FIRAJA!_ "

The instant Maylin struck the coin with Spellbinder, eight gigantic spheres of fire, resembling meteors, appeared and began to orbit around the Mad Treant even as it attempted to escape its icy trap. After a few seconds, the meteors all converged on the Mad Treant at once, exploding into a geyser of flames that shot straight to the sky. Singed and burned beyond recognition, the Mad Treant collapsed to the ground, dissolving into dark mist.

Maylin was instantly on the move, rushing over to where Haruka was kneeling, trying to catch her breath.

"Hold on, buddy," Maylin proclaimed, lightly tapping Haruka on the head with Spellbinder. _"Force, know my plight! Release the light! ESUNA!"_

Sparkles of light surrounded Haruka's body, clearing the residue of the poison apples away and allowing her to stand up straight again.

"Oof, that was _not_ pleasant at all," Haruka admitted. "Thanks for the heal, Maylin."

"No problem! My Esuna spell can easily get rid of any nasty side effects," Maylin proclaimed. "And I should probably be thanking _you_ for the intercept we needed, Weiss."

"I'm just doing what I felt was right," Weiss answered. "And, honestly, it's a good thing you're here right now."

"Is something wrong?" Marie asked.

Naturally, Weiss did a double-take when she saw Marie. After all, she had been there during the final battle with Izanami-no-Mikoto, and she'd seen Nick being forced to kill Marie to save the worlds.

"M-Marie? You're alive?!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Long story, but yes, I'm alive," Marie answered quickly, knowing that trouble was afoot. "But let's talk about that later. You said you needed our help with something?"

"There's a rather persistent Grimm fighting with Ruby and her friends," Weiss stated. "And it's kind of not going so well for us."

A loud, keening screech erupted from somewhere in the distance, so shrill and ear-piercing it almost caused the entire group to back away in sheer reflexive fear.

"Um... pardon my French, but _what the hell was that?!_ " Maylin exclaimed.

"That's our problem," Weiss answered. "Follow me, quickly!"

Nothing more needed to be said as the group followed Weiss through the forest area and eventually out into the ruined city of Kuroyuri, where Team RNJR could be seen circling what could only be described as the horse and rider from hell.

The Grimm horse in question, the Nuckelavee, was a horse-like creature with an equine main body and a skinless humanoid creature fused with it. Its forelegs were shaped like claws and it had hooved hind legs that left a characteristic hoof print. The humanoid body had long curved horns on its head, a mouth that looked almost sewn shut, and two long elastic arms each with two clawed fingers. Boney spikes ran along the back of its human torso's spine and a bunch of old and decaying weapons from previous battles it had fought were stuck in its back.

"Jeez, talk about your non-standard ugly set," Maylin quipped.

As Ruby fired a few shots from Crescent Rose to keep the rider occupied, Nora leaped from nearby with full intent to smash its head in with Magnhild, only for the Nuckelavee to extend one of its elastic arms and smash Nora into a nearby building. Though she wasn't hurt, a small field of pink lightning surrounded Nora's body before dissipating, indicating that her aura had been drained by that attack.

The Nuckelavee took advantage of this, swinging one of its arms to knock Ruby away and firing its other arm straight for the defenseless Nora.

Ren tried to get up in time, having had the wind knocked out of him by the Nuckelavee's last attack, but with his own aura drained, he could only watch as the Nuckelavee's clawed hand extended to eviscerate the girl he loved.

"NORA!" Ren shouted, only to look up when something flew over him.

 **("Let's Just Live" by Casey Lee Williams plays)**

Nora looked up just in time to see the Nuckelavee's claw flying straight for her, only for Riot Ranger to come spinning through the air and intercept the claw, allowing Nick to leap forward, call Riot Ranger back to his hands, and come down with a flying forward slash that severed the hand from the Nuckelavee at the joint.

"You get your _hand_ off of my friend, horse boy!" Nick shouted. The Nuckelavee roared in his direction, distracting it enough for Maylin for fire a Blizzaga spell into its face, causing it to reel. This gave Haruka the chance to slip in to under its horse half and slam Divine Rose into the ground, causing a Tremor that knocked the Nuckelavee to the ground.

Marie did a backflip to avoid the Nuckelavee's other arm before blasting it in the chest with a Watera spell.

"Yeah, chew on that," Marie giggled.

Much like Weiss had, Ruby did a shocked double-take at the sight of Marie. "Holy... Marie, you're alive?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Talk later, Ruby, plan now!" Marie proclaimed. "Do you have a plan for taking this nightmare horse out of the picture?"

"I've got something," Ruby responded. "We'll need you guys to weaken it first, but Jaune and I can take care of the arms."

"I'll take care of the horse," Nora stated, hefting Magnhild proudly.

"And I'll take care of the rest," Ren proclaimed.

"All right, guys, let's get into attack formation!" Maylin shouted.

The Nuckelavee roared at them again, but Maylin just fired a Thunder spell into its face to disorient it as the four keyblade wielders charged into battle.

"Any advice, Maylin?" Haruka asked as she dove under the horse half and slashed at the Nuckelavee's vulnerable underbelly.

"Yeah, stay clear of those Mister Fantastic arms of his!" Maylin exclaimed as she leaped away from one of said arms.

Nick stood his ground, waving Riot Ranger towards the Nuckelavee in hopes of baiting it into charging him while channeling his magic power. The Nuckelavee took the bait and started galloping towards Nick, despite Ruby shouting at him to move. The rider bent down mid-charge in an attempt to bit at Nick as it passed by, and that's when Nick made his move, raising his free hand and casting a wide-range Stopga spell that completely froze the Nuckelavee where it was.

While the members of Team RNJR watched in awe, Nick rushed forward so fast it appeared he was gliding over the ground and unleashed a storm of lightning-fast slashes on the Nuckelavee's head.

The entire city was silent for a few seconds, just waiting, until the Stopga spell wore off and the damage was inflicted, causing the Nuckelavee to collapse to the ground.

"I believe that's our cue!" Ruby exclaimed. Nora ran towards a nearby house, leaping off of a railing to propel her to the roof of the building as Ruby continued to fire Crescent Rose at the Nuckelavee to draw its attention. The monster extended its arm to attack Ruby, but she quickly dodged away, using the recoil of Crescent Rose to leap from building to building and eventually back to the ground.

The Nuckelavee attempted an overhead slam, but Ruby leaped into the air again to avoid it, firing Crescent Rose to propel herself higher, then firing into the sky to send her down with enough velocity to plant the blade of Crescent Rose into the Nuckelavee's arm, pinning it where it was.

The Nuckelavee screeched in agony even as one of Ren's knives flew through the air to stab it in its flank before turning its attention to Jaune, who was waiting with the upgraded Crocea Mors in hand. The Nuckelavee attacked with its free hand, but Ren, carrying Jaune's shield, launched himself from the roof of a nearby hut, slamming down on the hand and keeping it there so Jaune could stab Crocea Mors into the arm.

"Nora, now!" Ren called out, and Nora, standing on top of one of the highest buildings still standing in Kuroyuri, took that as her cue, diving off the roof with a cute smirk. After flipping a few times to build momentum, Nora swung Magnhild and smashed it straight into the Nuckelavee's horse head, breaking its neck and causing the rider to bellow in pain.

Weiss did her own part, switching Myrtenaster to its ice setting and casting a spell to freeze the back half of the Nuckelavee in an icy grip to neutralize any possible sneak attacks.

"We got 'em!" Marie exclaimed. "Who's gonna do the honors?"

"I think we should let Ren do it," Haruka answered. "I can tell this is personal for him."

Ren simply walked forward, wrenching his knife out of the Nuckelavee's side and walking up to the front of the beast, who could only roar in his face, pinned as it was. Ren didn't even flinch.

Ren, knowing what he had to do, flipped the knife so he was holding it in reverse grip. _For my mother,_ Ren thought as he slashed out, slicing the Nuckelavee's right arm off. Ren ignored the beast's screeches of agony.

 _For my father._ Ren then grabbed the Nuckelavee by its horn so he could wrench the head back and slice off the creature's other arm, leaving its rider to twitch in abject rage.

 _For everyone you've slain._ Ren slashed his knife across the Nuckelavee's chest for good measure before preparing himself for the final blow. "And... for myself."

With a sense of finality, Ren lashed out and, with one swift strike, cut the Nuckelavee's head clean off. The remains of the creature stopped twitching and collapsed, eventually dissolving into black mist.

"Holy crap," Maylin quipped.

"I concur," Haruka admitted.

"Finally, it's over," Ren stated to nobody in particular, though Nora knew what he was thinking. "You can all rest in peace now."

"Oh, _man_ , that was intense," Ruby quipped. "Oh! I'd better go check on Uncle Qrow!"

Ruby rushed towards a cluster of buildings while everyone else regrouped to recover after the battle.

"So, Marie, now that the battle is over, I think we'd _all_ like to know how you're still alive," Weiss asked. "After all, I saw what happened to you."

Marie just smiled brightly. "Long story short, my heart was being protected by Nick's until he got his keester handed to him by a personification of his inner darkness, and it freed me in the process."

"Sounds logical to me!" Nora giggled.

"So, boy, you arrived after all," a voice proclaimed. "You honestly had me worried that you'd given up after what happened."

Nick followed the sound of the voice to a hooded figure standing on top of one of the wrecked buildings. Despite his hood being up, Nick recognized the voice as the same member of Organization XIII that had taunted them the last time they'd been to this world.

"Okay, I'm only going to ask you once," Nick growled, re-summoning Riot Ranger. "What exactly are you hooded nutjobs really after?"

"Kingdom Hearts," the figure answered, lowering his hood to reveal his face, with black hair styled into distinctive dreadlocks, one of them used to tie most of the others into something like a ponytail and four thinner threads dangling in front of his face. He also had bushy eyebrows and very thick sideburns parallel to his violet eyes.

"When Kingdom Hearts is ours, we can at last exist fully and completely," Xaldin proclaimed.

"Aw, man, how many of you nutjobs are gonna keep popping up?!" Ruby exclaimed as she returned to the group.

"You all should stay back and let your aura regenerate," Nick stated to the others. "We'll handle this nut."

"Yeah, you should all go make sure Qrow is safe until someone can get here to pick you guys up," Maylin quipped. "No doubt _someone_ saw the big pillar of dark dust that thing left behind."

The members of Team RNJR silently agreed and rushed back into the alleyway where Qrow was resting.

Xaldin waved his hand, causing a pack of Nobodies to surround the four keyblade wielders. Each one of these Nobodies was a thin dragon-like creature with silver and purple skin. Its hands only had two distinct digits, while its feet had three long, purple toes each. It also had a thin purple tail and sharp white wings with purple tips lined by spikes resembling those on the Nobody symbol. The Nobody's real face was a small round and black head with a closed, jagged mouth located within its neck, which was hollow while its draconian "head" acted like a helmet. This "helmet" sported a jagged, open mouth at its end, lacked eyes, and was lined by thin spikes. The creature's upper body and "neck" were covered in magenta straps.

"Oh, lovely," Haruka groaned.

The Dragoons immediately went on the attack, teleporting to above the group so they could attack from the air, creating shockwaves when they came down.

"Okay, so we've gotta go aerial to beat these chumps," Nick quipped.

One of the Dragoons swiftly stabbed its lance towards Nick, forcing him to raise Riot Ranger to block the attack. When he blocked the lance, Nick felt something being transferred to him. Deciding to test out this newfound power, Nick focused on it and leaped into the air, teleporting high above the Dragoon before coming down with a powerful downward stab that instantly destroyed the Dragoon.

Marie swung Rainfell, blasting a few Dragoons back with a wave of darkness, before turning around and shooting a Dark Firaga into another Dragoon's face.

"Hmph," Xaldin huffed.

"Oh, what, you're not impressed?" Maylin challenged. "Then how about you suck on this?!"

Nick and Maylin stood back-to-back as more Dragoons surrounded them. As one of them lunged, Maylin made her move, starting a pirouette that eventually lifted her into the air. Nick began spinning Riot Ranger above him to keep Maylin aloft until she pounced back down to the ground, creating an explosion of wind that sent the Dragoons flying.

Maylin immediately charged, electricity trailing behind her and damaging more Dragoons. While she did this a few times, Nick began to perform leaping spin attacks to keep the pressure on, his weapon charged with fire energy as he did so.

After a bit of this, Maylin began to wave Spellbinder into the air to drop ice blocks onto the Dragoons while Nick slammed Riot Ranger into the ground under them, creating small upheavals under the Dragoons as he did so.

After a few cycles, Nick and Maylin decided that it was time for the finale and both leapt up into the air, where Maylin quickly cast a Magnega spell to gather the Dragoon horde together. Maylin then landed on the ground and used a spell coin to summon a small tidal wave that Nick used to vault above the horde so he could drive Riot Ranger down in a final attack that spiked the Dragoons down to the ground and created an outward explosion of light energy that destroyed all of them.

"There, I _dare_ you to huff at _that_!" Maylin exclaimed.

In response, Xaldin leaped down to the ground and threw his hands towards the sky, this action creating six large pillars of wind and dust around him with lightning crackling through them. After snapping his arms back down, the pillars dissipated, revealing Xaldin's weapon, the six lances of Lindworm. The lances teleported into the air, then fell down so Xaldin could catch two of them in each hand and leave the last two to float behind him thanks to his wind powers.

"Don't think you're getting away from us this time," Nick proclaimed.

"Oh, but where's the fun in this?" Xaldin stated.

Maylin didn't take that too well, rushing forward to lay into Xaldin, only for him to shout "Wind, guard me!" and create an Aero barrier around himself.

"You cheapskate!" Maylin growled as she ducked a strike from three lances, then rolled to the side to avoid the other three.

"I think we're going to have to find a way to get that barrier away from him if we're gonna do any meaningful damage," Nick noted.

"It doesn't seem like physical attacks will do much," Haruka realized, raising Divine Rose to deflect a sphere of wind that Xaldin had fired at her.

"Then that's where I step in," Maylin proclaimed, hefting Spellbinder and reaching for a good number of her spell coins.

" _Force, know my plight! Release the light! THUNDER! IN STEREO!"_ Maylin shouted, striking her Thunder coin twice to fire two large thunderbolts for Xaldin, the spell piercing through his Aero shield and driving him back.

"There we go! Magic is the way to go for this one!" Maylin giggled.

Marie leapfrogged off of Maylin's shoulders and unleashed Dark Volley, firing a stream of dark energy bolts towards Xaldin to push him away.

"You will not best me!" Xaldin bellowed, stabbing all six of his lances forward towards Nick, who only saved himself with a quick cast of Reflect. When the attack was blocked, Nick again felt that odd power.

Knowing what he had to do, Nick leaped into the air before teleporting right above Xaldin and coming down with a powerful stab attack that actually dispelled the Aero barrier and left the Whirlwind Lancer vulnerable.

"All right, let him have it!" Haruka shouted. Nick wasted no time in laying into Xaldin with Ars Arcanum, while Haruka went to work with a Geo Impact, much like Nick had done in the Sky of Beginnings.

"Enough of this," Xaldin proclaimed, spinning his lances around him before leaping into the air, then coming down with a stab attack that created a shockwave around him. Xaldin repeated this five more times, each jump forcing the group to stay away, until he began spinning his lances around him and performed one final downward stab that created a much larger shockwave and caused pillars of light to rain down around him. This last attack actually caught the group and scattered them all in different directions.

"That was cheap," Nick growled.

"Who ever accused me of playing fair?" Xaldin responded.

"You know what? Fair enough," Nick quipped before picking himself up and unleashing a Strike Raid, knowing that long range attacks were probably the best idea until they could get Xaldin's barrier to go down again.

"Keep hitting him, Nick," Maylin proclaimed, readying a super spell coin. "I've got a new one cooked up here."

Nick continued to use Strike Raid to keep Xaldin in his place so Maylin could charge up for her new super spell. However, after three more throws, Xaldin spun three lances around him to deflect the next throw and rush straight for Maylin.

Before Xaldin could reach the young mage, however, Marie leaped forward and, after charging Rainfell with her dark powers, slashed it across Xaldin's back, stumbling him in the process.

"Hope you're ready to choke on it, you frizzy-haired bitch!" Maylin taunted, tossing her super spell coin into the air and twirling Spellbinder dramatically before striking the coin. _"Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! WATERJA!"_

A large puddle of water surrounded Xaldin. Before he could think to move, four large streams of water emerged from the puddle and attacked Xaldin relentlessly, dragging him into the air as five large water bubbles surrounded him, eventually converging on him and exploding outwards. Meanwhile, a tornado of water surrounded him, continuously damaging him even as water bubbles erupted upwards from the puddle to damage Xaldin even more. Finally, a much larger bubble surrounded Xaldin, only to quickly pop, driving Xaldin to his knees and dispelling his barrier.

Marie took advantage of this and raised Darkgnaw to the sky before charging toward Xaldin, only to vanish before she reached the Whirlwind Lance, leaving him confused.

All of a sudden, Marie reappeared, flying by as fast as lightning and slashing at Xaldin many times from multiple angles, not letting up for even a second. After a few more passes, Marie reappeared a few feet above Xaldin.

"Welcome oblivion!" Marie proclaimed rather dramatically, planting Darkgnaw into the ground and causing dark shockwaves to ripple out from the point of impact, damaging Xaldin even further. "Yeah, who's bad _now_?!"

"ENOUGH!" Xaldin bellowed, picking himself up and reactivating his barrier before lashing out with all six of his lances, performing many stabbing and spinning attacks one after another, forcing the keyblade wielders to stay away from him.

After a few seconds of this ferocious attack, Xaldin gathered his lances and formed them into a sort-of dragon construct that he began to ride, piloting it to the very edge of the city.

"Wait, what's he doing _now_?" Maylin wondered.

"Now, all of you shall wear the face of despair!" Xaldin proclaimed. His lance construct opened its mouth before aiming towards the far left edge of Kuroyuri and firing off what could only be described as a tornado from its mouth. The tornado blast destroyed a number of buildings on contact, even as the construct began to sweep across the city, the blast destroying whatever it touched.

"Oh, _shit_! The girls are still over there with Qrow!" Maylin shouted. "Move, move, _MOVE IT!_ "

Maylin didn't waste a second in charging over to where Team RNJR and Weiss were watching over Qrow Branwen.

"Wait, Maylin, what's going _what is that?!_ " Ruby exclaimed as the tornado blast came closer.

Maylin quickly raised Spellbinder and cast Reflega, a large prism dome of light surrounding the entire group.

 _Oh, crap, I don't know if even this is gonna be enough,_ Maylin thought.

Nick leaped in and raised Riot Ranger to cast his own Reflega spell, a larger dome surrounding the first dome, just in time for the tornado blast to pass by them, battering at both domes. By the time it had passed on, both domes were just barely hanging on.

"Talk about close calls," Maylin quipped. "You guys okay?"

"Thanks to you," Ren stated.

"Uncle Qrow's exhausted, but I think he'll be okay," Ruby replied, surprised as she was about what Xaldin's attack had done. There was absolutely nothing left of the city of Kuroyuri.

"I think I can soften him up for you guys," Ruby proclaimed, readying Crescent Rose.

"You sure, Ruby? I'm willing to bet you're pooped out after fighting that monster," Haruka stated.

"Oh, I've got enough of my aura back to handle this weirdo," Ruby laughed. "Just watch me go!"

With that, Ruby leaped into the air, then used her Semblance to turn into a tornado of rose petals, much like she had against the Shadow Stalker, and flew towards Xaldin, who had just returned to solid ground.

Xaldin attempted to get his lances up to defend himself from Ruby, but she was simply too quick for the Whirlwind Lance, ping-ponging back and forth and attacking Xaldin on every pass.

Xaldin lashed out with one of his lances during a gap in Ruby's attack, but the young reaper simply dodged away and slammed the blunt end of Crescent Rose into Xaldin's head, knocking him to the ground.

"You shall pay for that!" Xaldin growled, picking himself up quickly...

...only for Nick to run up and slash through his body with a Zantetsuken.

Everything was still for a few seconds until Xaldin's lances stabbed themselves into the ground around him, eventually turning into pillars of light.

Xaldin let out a loud bellow of disbelief as his body faded away in one last burst outward burst of wind currents.

"Anyone from the Organization who wants to be next?!" Maylin challenged.

"Um, I don't think it's wise to threaten them, Maylin," Weiss sighed.

"How many does that make so far?" Marie asked.

"That should be five," Nick answered, twirling Riot Ranger in his hands. "We've still got quite a few assholes to take out, but we're on the right track."

Jaune gazed towards the sky just in time to notice a pair of Haven-branded airships approaching them. Naturally, Jaune quickly directed them to help Qrow on board and tell the pilots where they wanted to go.

"How did you find us?" Jaune asked. "All the way out here?"

"We were just passing by and we saw the smoke," the first pilot answered. "No one's been out here in years, honestly. Too dangerous."

"Are the four of you coming, too?" the second pilot.

"We actually have to get going ourselves," Nick answered, resting Riot Ranger on his shoulders. "I'm pretty sure our work here is done."

"Aw, do you guys have to go already?" Ruby asked. "You just got here!"

"Well, Ruby, we're kinda on a time clock," Haruka answered. "We're actually taking our Mark of Mastery Exam, so we've gotta scoot off to the next world so we can keep going."

"Oh, you're going to be Keyblade Masters soon?" Weiss wondered.

"Once this is over, we're going to be all _kinds_ of badass!" Maylin laughed.

"As if you aren't already," Ren quipped.

"You guys go on ahead without us," Nick stated. "After all, you've still got some friends to find, right?"

Ruby nodded in assent, hoping that soon she would be able to reunite Team RWBY and take sweet revenge on the ones who had done them so much harm.

As the airships flew away, Nick and the girls easily noticed that Ren and Nora were holding hands the whole time, Nora even deciding to be brave and rest her head on Ren's shoulder.

"Well, it's about time, huh?" Haruka stated.

"I always hoped Ren would get over that cliché obliviousness shtick and realize that Nora's had it bad for him for a _loooooooong_ time," Maylin giggled.

"Oh, don't start playing matchmaker again," Haruka proclaimed. "I'd think they wouldn't want you butting in on their love life."

"Hey, it worked before!" Maylin countered even as Haruka activated her wrist communicator. "I mean, look at the couples I've gotten together. Ruby and Weiss, Fine and Izetta, and you can't _possibly_ deny that I'm pretty much the only reason that Nick and Cornelia got together so quickly!"

"H-Hey, I would have eventually confessed on my own if you hadn't put me on the spot, you doof!" Nick sputtered.

"I had no idea that Nick's friends were such a bunch of cards," Marie giggled to herself as they were all beamed up to the Gummi Ship. "Guess that's why they're so entertaining."

Haruka couldn't resist piloting the Gummi Ship alongside the airships for a moment, just to wave goodbye to Team RNJR and crew even as Haven loomed in the distance.

As the Gummi Ship pulled away from Haven, Nick suddenly felt something appear in his hands. A quick glance showed that it was a small sphere, apparently made of the black mist that formed the Grimm, and had the Nuckelavee's face on it.

"Okay, what's with the weird sphere of mister ugly horse?" Maylin asked.

"It looks like it's a proof of something," Nick quipped. "Probably just our proof of defeating the 'evils that lurk' in this world. I bet we'll need all the proofs by the time we go to look for Sora and company."

Nick placed the Proof of Negativity on the control console just as the Gummi Ship re-entered the Lanes Between.

"Welp, looks like Gamindustri is next," Haruka proclaimed. "Shall we go see what shenanigans are ensuing?"

"Knowing Nep, it's probably something pretty wacky," Maylin quipped.

"Isn't _that_ the truth," Nick stated as the Gummi Ship flew towards Gamindustri.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

On the next episode:

Nick: Well, looks like I was right about shenanigans happening next time.

Maylin: How so, fearless leader?

Nick: Well, now there's apparently _two_ Gamindustris, and one's in a separate dimension from the one we know.

Haruka: Video games is a fickle mistress, am I right?

Marie: And... yep, it looks like another member of the Organization's mucking around here.

Maylin: Whoa, whoa, whoa, and who are these two lady ninjas with the huge bazongas?!

Marie: Maylin, seriously, don't say stuff like that! You're pushing our T rating!

Maylin: Hey, I calls 'em like I sees' 'em, you know.

Nick: I kinda want to know who they are, too. Because whoever they are, they're _obviously_ not from this world. Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "Between Dimensions"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	15. Between Dimensions

"Hey, guys?" Maylin asked as the Gummi Ship approached Gamindustri. "Is it me, or is something _else_ part of that thing now?"

Haruka looked out towards the large structure that represented Gamindustri out here in the Lanes Between. Now it appeared that there were two versions of Gamindustri, though the one that had just appeared looked slightly (slightly, mind you) less advanced, as if it was further back in time than the "current" Gamindustri.

"Oh, boy," Haruka sighed. "What do you guys think Neptune did this time?"

"Why do you automatically assume it was Neptune?" Marie wondered. "I don't think she's really a troublemaker."

"We're not saying _that_ , just that Neptune has this odd propensity for getting sucked into alternate dimensions," Nick answered. "And that _definitely_ looks like an alternate dimension."

"I can only imagine what Histoire must think of that," Haruka quipped. "She's flustered enough with Neptune's antics lately."

"Well, then how about we jump down there and see what's going on?" Nick proclaimed. "If there's another Gamindustri, they might have their own share of problems, and I'm willing to bet one of them is one of those evils that we need to fight."

"Roger that," Haruka stated, charting a course for Gamindustri and its double. However, Haruka caught a glimpse of something on the control panel's radar screen.

"What's up?" Maylin asked.

"I'm not sure what it is, but I'm suddenly picking up a strange reading," Haruka answered, looking at the map and hoping to figure out what it was.

"You sure? I don't see anything," Marie quipped.

"Well, there's definitely _something_ there," Haruka responded. "But it's all cloudy and kinda fuzzy..."

"You think it's just a glitch?" Nick asked.

"I wouldn't go that far," Haruka answered. "Whatever this thing is, it's no glitch in the system. Look at _that_ , for instance."

Haruka pointed westward, towards where Heatherfield and Candracar were. Far behind those two worlds was a gigantic cloud of dark green mist that was covering what looked like a large city.

"That's obviously the source of this reading," Haruka continued. "Whatever it is, though, I can't lock on to it from the Gummi Ship, so I'm willing to bet we can't go there right now."

"Maybe," Maylin stated. She already had a pretty good feeling about what _that_ place probably was.

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Eden Riegel_ as **Marie Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** Gamindustri apparently now has two different variations: the Hyperdimension, the one the group had previously been to, and the Ultradimension, a Gamindustri stuck in the 1980s. Alongside having to face yet another member of the Organization, the group encounters a pair of ninja girls who clearly don't belong to this world. What could their reason be for being in this world?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **For Today's World:** Now we're returning to the world of _Hyperdimension Neptunia_ by Compile Heart and Idea Factory, specifically for a visit to the Ultradimension from _Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory_. And no, I won't be using Victory's version of Neptune, since I know that one's not well-received for the way she acts. This Neptune will be the much nicer one from the re:Birth games and MegaNep.

* * *

Episode 15: Between Dimensions

Nick glanced around the Basilicom as the group arrived in Gamindustri, just to make sure everything was as it should be. "Well, it looks like things are normal here," Nick quipped. "Well, as normal as they usually get around here."

"I'd really like some answers about that other Gamindustri we saw on the way here," Haruka stated. "Because I just have this feeling that the Organization's already mucking around."

"Hello, Neptune?!" Maylin exclaimed. "Is _anyone_ here?!"

"Goodness, what is all that racket?"

Nick glanced over at the nearby door that had just opened to allow Planeptune's Oracle, Histoire, to float into the room.

"Oh, it is you," Histoire replied, floating over to the four keyblade wielders. "What brings you here today?"

"We're actually looking for Neptune," Nick answered. "She's obviously not here, and, well..."

Histoire gestured out towards the Planeptune city. "Neptune is most likely still in the Ultradimension, visiting Peashy as she said she was going to."

"Wait, Ultradimension?" Maylin gasped. "Is _that_ what that other Gamindustri we saw on the way here was?"

"Yup, definitely due to dimension hopper Neptune," Nick quipped.

"Hey, I'm a 'dimension _tripper_ ', thank you very much!"

At that precise moment, Neptune burst into the Basilicom, looking slightly frantic.

"What is the matter, Neptune?" Histoire asked.

"I came back when I figured out you guys were here," Neptune quipped. "And just in time, too! There's these weird monster things attacking, and I'm not sure if P-ko can hold them off on her own! And they're really creepy, too, with weird happy and sad and angry faces..."

"The Unversed!" Marie exclaimed.

"Well, then I guess it's a good thing we're here," Nick proclaimed. "Lead the way, Neptune!"

"Roger that, fellow protagonist!" Neptune exclaimed as she rushed back out of the Basilicom with the keyblade wielders in pursuit. The rush led them back down into the tower's ground floor and towards a large, swirly portal that was open in the middle of the room.

The group crossed through the portal and eventually ended up in a large field just outside of the Ultradimension's Planeptune city.

Nick immediately noticed that a girl of about eight was fighting off a horde of what appeared to be Unversed. She was a short girl with cerulean blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair tied with large red hair baubles. She was wearing a one-piece short jumpsuit with a bee-like design accompanied with star designs on the lower half and also on the sleeves, and was also wearing large red shoes and boxing gloves in the shape of cat paws.

The first type of Unversed that Peashy was fighting had a bulky and conical main body with a blue base, a black tip, and silver highlights. It was levitating using a grey, conical turbine with three blue fan blades on it on its underside. A silver, metal piece connected a large blue and silver satellite dish to the top of its body. Its red eyes were set in a rather creepy happy expression and the Unversed symbol was printed on the lower half of its main body.

The other type of Unversed was a large, bottom-heavy creature with predominantly black skin almost completely covered in blue armor. Its feet, which were covered in gold armor, curled up at the toes and its conical arms were protected by circular blue and gold shields. Its head was spherical, light grey, and covered by a blue helmet with a gladiator-esque, light grey crest and two grey spikes on its sides. The armor on its midsection was black with gold designs decorating it, and somewhat resembled a belt. Its red eyes were set in an angry expression and the Unversed symbol was printed on the center of its belt.

"All right, creeps, you get your dirty mitts off of my little P-ko!" Neptune proclaimed, unsheathing her katana and rushing over to bisect one of the Sonic Blasters with an overhead slash, allowing Peashy to make some room for herself and jump back to where Neptune was.

"You came back, Neptuna!" Peashy exclaimed.

"Sorry I just ditched you like that, P-ko," Neptune apologized. "I had to get some backup for these things."

"Let's mop 'em up, everybody!" Nick proclaimed as he summoned Processor Unit to his hands.

One of the Buckle Bruisers began to march forward, and Neptune moved in to intercept, only for her katana to bounce harmlessly off of the creature's shields.

"Aw, man, they've got frontal immunity?" Neptune groaned. "I call hax!"

"That just means we've gotta bash 'em from behind," Haruka quipped before leaping over the Buckle Bruiser and smashing Divine Rose into the ground when she landed, causing an upheaval under the Buckle Bruiser that sent it into the air.

This was followed by Peashy running towards the flying Buckle Bruiser, despite Haruka's attempts to keep Peashy away, only for the young CPU to suddenly leap into the air and execute a flying dropkick on the Buckle Bruiser's head, instantly destroying it.

"BOOM!" Peashy giggled.

"Holy _crap_ , she's wicked strong for her age," Haruka quipped.

"Just when you think you've seen everything," Nick stated, frying a Sonic Blaster with a point-blank Thunder spell.

A Buckle Bruiser attempted to leap on Peashy while she was distracted by bonking another Sonic Blaster on the head with multiple spinning arm flails, only for Neptune to leap in.

"No touchie," Neptune proclaimed as she unleashed a Cross Combination on the unprotected backside of the Buckle Bruiser. Just as the Buckle Bruiser was knocked back down to the ground by the final hit of Neptune's attack, Peashy began to wind up, energy surrounding her right fist.

"Put some 'oomph' behind it!" Peashy exclaimed, punching forward so hard that the Buckle Bruiser's shields couldn't protect it and it was sent flying into the distance, becoming a twinkle in the sky.

Peashy looked up as one of the Sonic Blasters shined a targeting spotlight on her.

"Oh, you can _forget_ it!" Marie exclaimed, leaping into the air and unleashing Dark Break, in which she used Darkgnaw like a pogo stick to bounce off the heads of all of the nearby Sonic Blasters, destroying them with each bounce.

Another group of Sonic Blasters surrounded Nick, but he simply destroyed them all with a quick Ripple Drive.

"And that's that," Nick quipped now that the battlefield was calm.

"Wow, you guys are tough! Just like Neptuna!" Peashy laughed.

"Um... 'Nep _tuna_ '?" Maylin giggled.

"Like I said, so many people have trouble pronouncing my name," Neptune sighed. "I'm just used to it by this point. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot to introduce this little buster!"

Neptune walked over and picked Peashy up. "This is one of this Planeptune's CPUs, Peashy! I usually just call her P-ko."

"Neptune, how do you constantly keep getting sucked into different dimensions?" Haruka asked.

"Long story, honestly," Neptune quipped. "I'm used to _that_ , too."

All of a sudden, Peashy spun around in Neptune's grip before shoving her harshly backwards, then leaping backwards herself. Neptune was about to ask what that had been for, only to watch as a large Unversed crashed into the ground where the two of them had just been.

The Unversed in question was very strange, as its lower body was locked in a black gibbet with silver highlights and several black, diamond-shaped gems set in it. Its arms, which were covered in black armor with two blue gauntlets, were bound by four red chains. Only its head, encased in a helmet that was light grey on its right half and grey on its left half, was free to move. It had jagged, black horns on either side of its helmet, though they weren't the same shape. The right horn was somewhat straighter and more horizontal, while the left horn hooked upward sharply, and its slightly uneven eyes were bright red and set in an angry expression.

"And what the hell are _you_ supposed to be?!" Maylin exclaimed, switching to Counterpoint.

"Okay, this is just getting insane," Nick growled.

The Iron Imprisoner swung its gibbet around three times, each swing trailing concussive bursts of fire as it did so. Nick rolled to the right to avoid the first swing, then raised Processor Unit to block the last two strikes before retaliating with a Firaga spell that blasted the Iron Imprisoner backwards.

Just as Haruka was about to jump in and continue the attack, the Iron Imprisoner began to spin around like a tornado, its entire body engulfed in a twister of flame. Its movements were mostly random, forcing the entire group to keep on the move to avoid it.

"You know what? I think it's time to actually get serious for once!" Neptune proclaimed. _"Hard Drive Divinity, engage!"_

A bright column of light surrounded Neptune, transforming her into her HDD form, Purple Heart.

"Shall we end this monstrosity?" Purple Heart asked.

"You know it," Maylin quipped.

Purple Heart started the attack, lashing out at the Iron Imprisoner with her Critical Edge attack, knocking the Iron Imprisoner into the air and slashing straight through it once it came back down.

Maylin leapfrogged off of Purple Heart's shoulders and cast Firaga directly into the Iron Imprisoner's face, causing it to reel for a few seconds.

"Hey, I think fire attacks are the way to go on this one," Maylin giggled, retrieving a super spell coin from her pocket. _"Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! FIRAJA!"_

Eight gigantic spheres of fire, resembling meteors, appeared and began to orbit around the Iron Imprisoner. After a few seconds, the meteors all converged on the Iron Imprisoner at once, exploding into a geyser of flames that shot straight to the sky. When the flames dissipated, the Iron Imprisoner fell to the ground, clearly dazed but not quite finished.

"You're mine!" Purple Heart exclaimed, raising her hand to cast 32-bit Mega Blade, in which she summoned a giant purple energy blade and rammed it into the Iron Imprisoner, causing great damage in its stunned state.

Before Purple Heart could rush forward and deal the final blow, a large cage burst from the ground around her, locking her in her spot.

"Hey! No fair using cheap tricks to trap Neptuna!" Peashy exclaimed, dashing towards the Iron Imprisoner.

"Peashy, get back!" Marie shouted.

"Here comes the big one!" Peashy shouted, lashing out with a right hook, then a downward slam, followed by a flurry of blows directed at the Iron Imprisoner's gibbet, finishing off with an uppercut that sent the Iron Imprisoner skyward.

"One more, one more!" Peashy exclaimed, a golden aura surrounding her, before disappearing and slashing at the Iron Imprisoner multiple times back and forth like a ninja before flashing up to above the Iron Imprisoner and falling down quickly. Peashy then drove both of her fists into the Iron Imprisoner before breaking through it and falling back to the ground.

Peashy smiled and raised her left fist in victory as the Iron Imprisoner fell back to the ground and evaporated into little wisps of darkness that quickly dissipated.

Nick rushed over to slash Processor Unit through the cage that was keeping Purple Heart trapped, allowing her to swing her own katana and destroy the rest of it before reverting back to Neptune.

"Well, that was fun," Neptune laughed. "And that's why you don't wanna get on P-ko's bad side."

"No kidding," Marie quipped. "She's super-strong for her age."

"And that's why bad guys get the Pea Punch!" Peashy laughed.

"Now that we're clear of the monsters," Neptune proclaimed. "What are you guys up to today?"

"Um, Neptune?" Marie asked. "How come you're not surprised that I'm alive? You _were_ there when... well..."

"Hey, I'm the protagonist, Marie," Neptune laughed. "I know these things. Besides, I've been keeping up with the story while you guys have been gone, so there we go!"

"So, then you know that we're here because we're taking our Mark of Mastery Exam," Nick quipped. "And considering that I'm sure the Organization might be lurking again..."

"Wait, those hooded weirdos, like the scientist dude we wrecked last time?" Neptune replied. "I say 'bring 'em on'! I'm not scared of those numbskulls! I'm the main character, after all!"

"And on that note, how about we get back to Peashy's Basilicom before those things attack us again?" Maylin quipped, balancing Spellbinder on her shoulder.

"Good idea," Haruka replied.

Nick hadn't even taken two steps forward when a powerful rumble shook the immediate forest area, nearly knocking everyone off of their feet.

"What the hell was _that_ now?!" Maylin shouted.

"It sounds like it's coming from nearby!" Haruka exclaimed. "Let's go take a look!"

"Ooh, I hope that's not Blanny doing that," Neptune groaned. "Her temper's worse than _my_ Blanny..."

As the entire group broke out of the forest into the fields that led back to Planeptune, they all noticed that the ground was covered with gigantic craters, as if something had landed here or someone had gone on a rampage.

And the most likely suspect was retreating through a corridor of darkness.

"Hey, get back here!" Nick exclaimed, firing a Thunder spell for the figure, but they had already vanished into the corridor.

"The Organization?" Marie asked.

"Most likely," Haruka answered. "But what member of the Organization could do _this_? I mean, seriously, there's _hundreds_ of craters here!"

"Hopefully we'll find out soon," Nick stated. "I think we'd better get to the Basilicom quickly."

"Just follow the Nep!" Neptune proclaimed as she led the group into the city of Planeptune and up into its Basilicom.

However, the group was met with a strange sight when they arrived in the main room of the Basilicom.

A large, Mushroom-like Heartless was standing there. It appeared to be wearing a black coat similar to the kind that Organization XIII wore, and had a pitch-black head and glowing yellow eyes, its "hood" resembling a mushroom cap.

"Um, _excuse_ me?!" Maylin exclaimed, summoning Spellbinder again.

Nick glanced over to the side of the room and saw that someone else was in the room, staring intently at the strange Heartless. She had long, light purple hair in a braid to the back and a light pink frill ribbon tied to it. She had magenta eyes and was wearing a white choker like Neptune's around her neck. Her dress was teal with a mix of pink, white, and light orange with thigh high socks and bear slippers to match.

"Um, Plutie, what's going on here?" Neptune asked.

"No clue, Neppy," Plutia answered, speaking rather slowly. "I just found this thing in here."

No. 9 pointed at Nick, then did a twirl before staring intently at him.

"Hey, I think I've got it," Nick quipped, summoning Processor Unit to his hands. "I think it wants us to spin it around."

"These Mushroom guys are always strange," Maylin admitted. "Okay, fearless leader, how do you suggest we go about this?"

"Rapid attacks seem to be the way to go, considering I don't think we can _stop_ spinning it or it'll leave," Nick stated. "Let's go Wisdom Form and just shoot non-stop."

"Good idea!" Maylin giggled, throwing herself into Nick's arms so they could unite into Wisdom Form, dual-wielding Spellbinder and Processor Unit.

"Wooooooooooow," Plutia giggled.

"All right, fungus boy, let's dance!" Wisdom Form Nick proclaimed as he began to glide around No. 9, shooting magical bullets from both keyblades without pause to keep the strange Heartless spinning for as long as he could.

The whole time, Wisdom Form Nick kept counting in his mind each hit he landed on No. 9, realizing that he probably had to get to a certain threshold to win this challenge.

After about seventy-five hits, No. 9 leaped into the air, and though Wisdom Form Nick attempted to cast a spell on it, the strange Heartless opened its arms and unleashed a few rounds of fireworks.

When it landed, No. 9 dropped a quartet of oddly-shaped materials before clapping twice and disappearing.

"Okay, then, what was _that_ all about?" Haruka asked as she went to retrieve the materials No. 9 had dropped while Wisdom Form Nick separated into Nick and Maylin.

"And why do I have a feeling there's gonna be more of them?" Maylin wondered.

"Okay, now that the weirdness is over for the moment, I have more introductions!" Neptune proclaimed, walking up to Plutia. "This is my best friend in the Ultradimension and this Planeptune's first CPU, Plutia! I usually just call her Plutie."

"Nice to meet you all," Plutia replied. "Neppy's told me a lot about you guys."

"Okay, pardon if I cut in here," Marie stated. "Neptune, you said that this Planeptune has _two_ CPUs, right? I thought there could only be one CPU at a time. Is that something that's different here in the Ultradimension?"

"Well, that's _quite_ the story," Neptune replied.

Neptune was spared from telling the story when Histoire floated into the room, only she looked quite different from the Histoire of the Hyperdimension. This Histoire was only about as big as Neptune's hand, and looked completely different, now with her hair tied up in two pigtails by teal ribbon, and a purple and white headdress on her head. She was also wearing what seemed to be a purple graduate's gown decorated with orange designs and a teal bow at the top.

"Plutia, Neptune, there's trouble in the Jet Set Range," Histoire proclaimed. "Two strange people are causing chaos and upsetting the monsters."

"Just when you think we're gonna get a break from the trouble," Haruka sighed.

"Hey, Histy, I know that look, so don't complain that I'm being lazy, got it?" Neptune quipped when she saw Histoire give her an accusing glance. "I was busy mopping up more of those weird monsters that have been showing up!"

"Regardless of which, you must go there quickly and stop whoever is upsetting the monsters before they go on a rampage," Histoire stated matter-of-factly.

"This must be the evil we're supposed to fight," Maylin quipped. "All right, Neptune, lead the way!"

The entire group, now joined by Plutia, set off for the Jet Set Range where the strange figures had last been sighted.

Along the way, Plutia showed off her own skills using large dolls that she herself had created, even throwing her Neptune Doll like a boomerang to keep a particularly nasty Crimson Jazz at bay.

"Those ones are reeeeeeeeeeeally annoying," Plutia stated.

"Oh, don't we freakin' _know_ it," Maylin quipped.

"Say, Plutia, since you're a CPU, does that mean you have an HDD form, too?" Haruka asked.

"Yep," Plutia replied. "But Neppy says that my other self tends to scare people, so I'm only allowed to transform when there's real trouble about."

"Couldn't be any scarier than the crazy crap _we've_ been through, honestly," Nick admitted.

Before Plutia could consider that option, she looked up and saw two people standing there at the edge of the trail that led into the wide-open field area that connected the two halves of Jet Set Range to each other.

The first figure was a short girl with dark brown hair tied in a ponytail with a white ribbon. She was wearing a uniform composed of a yellow vest over a white shirt, and a green plaid skirt to match her tie. Paired with it were black thigh high socks with brown loafers, and on each arm was a guard with bandages beneath them, and her waist had two straps to hold her swords.

The second figure had pale white skin and icy blue eyes, medium-length dark gray hair propped up in the back by a white bow with blue stripes. She was wearing a solid white furisode kimono that hung off her shoulders with blue double-lined trim and a blue obi on the back.

"Holy _bazongas_ , they're bigger than Vert's!" Neptune exclaimed. "And after the whole Yellow Heart thing, if Vert... if _either_ Vert sees this, they're gonna _flip_!"

"Um, Neppy?" Plutia asked. "This _is_ a T-rated story, riiiiiiight?"

"All right, you two, out with it," Nick challenged, summoning Zero/One to his hands. "Why are you disturbing the monsters here?!"

"Hey, Nick? Something doesn't seem right here," Maylin quipped.

"How do you figure?" Nick asked.

"Well, just looking at them, I _really_ don't think they belong in this world," Maylin explained. "I've just got a bad feeling."

As if in response to this query, both Asuka and Yumi unsheathed their weapons, two wakizashi (Japanese short swords) for Asuka and a pair of kessen (combat hand fans) for Yumi.

"Oh, crap," Marie quipped.

 **("Sunshine FES" by Yumi Hara & Hitomi Harada plays)**

"INCOMING!" Maylin shouted, putting everyone on edge as Asuka charged first, raising her two swords for an attack.

"Oh, I don't think so," Haruka quipped. "Nick, wanna go Valor Form and teach her who's the better dual-wielders?"

"You read my mind," Nick stated as Haruka slid over to place her hand on Nick's shoulder, allowing them to unite into Valor Form, dual-wielding Divine Rose and Psychic Punch.

Asuka leaped through the air, aiming both of her swords in an overhead slash, but Valor Form Nick easily blocked the strike by raising Psychic Punch, then slashing outwards with Divine Rose to drive Asuka back.

Not fazed, Asuka rushed back into the fray and began to duel with Valor Form Nick, her swords clashing with his keyblades multiple times.

"Come on, ninja girl, show me what you're made of!" Valor Form Nick proclaimed, taking advantage of a slip in guard to send Asuka into the air with a Valor Shot, then leaping after her and battering the ninja girl with a Sonic End.

This caused Yumi to rush into the fray, only to find herself being pulled back by a Mangega spell that had been cast behind her.

"Yeah, don't _even_. _Style Change: Spellweaver!_ " Maylin proclaimed, switching to Stormfall as light exploded outwards from Maylin's body, forcing Yumi to shield her eyes as best she could.

When the light died down, Maylin was floating slightly off the ground, still surrounded by that radiant glow. Even her eyes were twinkling with the light of a star. Stormfall was floating by her right hand, being telekinetically controlled by Maylin.

"Time to say goodnight!" Maylin shouted, her voice echoing as she rushed Yumi, swinging Stormfall in wide, sweeping attacks. The keyblade actually spun around as she swung it, further adding to the damage it was causing. Maylin finished her combo by aiming Stormfall for Yumi and firing off a large sphere of light that did multiple hits worth of damage and caused Yumi to back away.

Yumi retaliated by unleashing Secret Ninja Art: Ice Pillar Fan, extending both of her fans as she twirled around. As she did so, a tornado of extremely sharp icicles surrounded her, forcing Maylin to stay back.

Marie solved that by unleashing a Dark Firaga blast from her free palm, actually breaking through the ice twister and pushing Yumi back enough to the cancel her Ninja Art.

"Now you're mine!" Maylin shouted as energy began to gather around Stormfall, and Maylin began to spin around like a ballet dancer, spirals of light surrounding her as she did so and lifting Yumi into the air with each hit.

After about seven straight seconds of spinning, Maylin finished with a swift flourish of Stormfall that created a large ice crystal above her, which instantly shattered and created a shockwave that sent Yumi crashing to the ground.

While trying to avert her eyes for modesty (after all, that dress was barely holding her... you know... in), Maylin noticed something she hadn't before.

There was a strange root growing around Yumi's left leg.

"Okay, that's odd," Maylin quipped.

"Wait, Maylin," Marie stated. "I don't think that's just an ordinary root. I sense great dark power coming from that root!"

"Maybe that's what's causing them to go berserk and attack us," Maylin replied, raising Stormfall and casting a Thunder spell to lash out and strike the dark root, electrocuting it and causing it to fall off of Yumi's leg.

Yumi slowly shook her head, as if she was recovering from a headache, before looking around, quite clearly confused.

"Where... am I?" Yumi asked. "This isn't the academy..."

"And the rabbit hole just gets deeper and deeper," Marie quipped.

"Sorry, but... I'm confused. What exactly is going on?" Yumi asked.

"Well, you and your friend were apparently being controlled by some dark root that forced you to attack us," Maylin explained.

"Wait, friend?" Yumi wondered, only to look over and catch sight of Asuka still dueling Valor Form Nick. "What?! Asuka, stop!"

Asuka jumped back a few steps before rushing forward with a flying X-slash that Valor Form Nick blocked by raising both of his keyblades, before leaping himself and rocketing forward with a Spiral Strike that sent Asuka skyward again.

Now Valor Form Nick noticed the root growing around Asuka's leg, much like Yumi had had.

"Nick!" Marie exclaimed. "Cut that root off of her! It's possessing her!"

"Roger that," Valor Form Nick responded, but Asuka was ready this time, dodging Valor Form Nick's flying strike and taking up a ninja stance. Her swords were covered in an emerald glow that made them slightly longer.

Before Valor Form Nick could react, Asuka charged forward and unleashed Secret Ninja Art: Hanzo-Style Full Bloom, starting with a barrage of slashes against Valor Form Nick before slamming both of her swords into the ground, causing five large stalagmites to burst upwards from the point of impact and throw Valor Form Nick backwards. When he fell to the ground, the damage he'd taken was enough to force him out of Valor Form.

"Ouch... that _really_ hurt," Nick quipped.

"You're telling me," Haruka sighed.

As Asuka advanced to deliver the final blow, Maylin caused Asuka to stumble by way of a Firaga blast to the chest before rushing in and swinging outwards to slice the root in half, its halves falling to the ground and evaporating into dark mist.

"And there we go," Maylin quipped.

"Ow, my head... what the heck just happened?" Asuka asked, shaking the cobwebs from her mind. "Why do I feel like I just ran a marathon and got my butt handed to me by Homura?"

"You... kinda got possessed by something," Haruka answered. "You and your friend Yumi."

"Wait, Yumi, you're here too?" Asuka asked. "What's going on here? I thought we were still at Gessen?"

"I thought so, too," Yumi answered. "We were just having a sparring match, and then..."

"...the roots," Asuka finished for Yumi, remembering how the ground around their arena had practically exploded, causing those strange roots to pop up everywhere. "I thought I'd lost control of my powers for some reason..."

"The last thing I remember is one of the roots coiling around my leg before I blacked out," Yumi stated. "And when I finally came to, I was here, and you were attacking these people."

Haruka suddenly had a thought. It seemed like those roots had caused this strange occurrence, but who did she know that used earth besides the respective Guardians? She knew that Cornelia was still in Heatherfield with Lily, and she had no idea what Kadma was doing or where she currently resides, but...

...wait.

"Hey, Haruka, what's with the shocked face?" Marie asked.

"Oh, no..." Haruka growled. "Oh, god damn it, I should have realized it earlier..."

"Haruka, is everything okay?" Nick wondered.

"I think I know where those roots came from," Haruka answered. "And if that's true, I think I know what the Oracle's trying to prepare us for."

"Well? Spill if you know something!" Maylin exclaimed.

Haruka glanced up at the sky as she recounted what Yan Lin had told her once. "Those roots... belong to the Dark Mother."

Nick and Marie were both naturally confused, but Maylin's shocked expression grew even more so, as she had hoped to never hear _that_ name again.

"Wait, wait, Haruka, you can _not_ be serious," Maylin proclaimed. "There is _no freakin' way..._ I thought she was imprisoned!"

"Um, could we get a footnote here?" Nick and Marie quipped in unison.

"The Dark Mother is a face from the distant past I had hoped would never resurface," Haruka explained. "We're gonna have to go _way_ back for this one. You see, there were once four Elemental Queens, entities with absolute control over their element. They used their powers to protect Candracar and the other worlds. However... one of them changed. Meter, the Queen of Spring, was the one. Her heart suddenly filled with arrogance and lust for power, and she used her magic to transform herself into a monster. Despite this newfound form she took, she was defeated by the other Elemental Queens and sentenced to imprisonment in the nothingness, far away from all of the worlds."

Haruka sighed heavily before continuing the story. "However, it seems like some of her seeds might have found their way out and into other worlds. And if those seeds are growing in power enough to possess people and take them out of their worlds, it must mean that her seal is weakening. Though I don't think she's got enough power to break out yet, the fact that the Oracle could sense the danger she poses if she were ever to break free..."

"Then it makes sense why he's letting us undergo the Mark of Mastery Exam already," Marie concluded. "Because we're gonna _need_ to be Keyblade Masters to even stand a chance against an Elemental Queen."

"Jeez, it seems like every time we think we've stomped a bad guy, _another one_ just pops up to take their place," Nick groaned.

"Eh, such is the life of a keyblade wielder," Haruka quipped.

"Hey, we fought an ancient _goddess_ and we beat her," Maylin quipped. "I say 'bring it on'! We'll stomp the Dark Mother no matter _what_ she tries!"

"Okay, so... what does that mean for us?" Asuka asked.

"I'd recommend you just hang around here for a while until we can get in contact with our Oracle," Haruka answered. "He can send you home with his powers."

"I just hope everything is okay at Gessen while we're away..." Yumi sighed.

"Hey, your girls are _awesome_!" Asuka quipped, immediately hugging Yumi. "They can handle anything, even if you're not there!"

"Ehehehe... I guess you're right, Asuka," Yumi giggled.

"Well, I guess that's mission complete for the moment," Neptune laughed. "Come on, guys, let's get back and have some _pudding_!"

"Yay, pudding!" Peashy exclaimed.

As Asuka and Yumi discussed what they were going to do, the rest of the group retreated back through the Jet Set Range.

However, they were stopped by another strange black coat-wearing Mushroom Heartless on the way out.

"Another one of you things?" Maylin challenged, summoning Spellbinder.

No. 12 split into three copies, then joined back into one, then four copies, then joined back into one.

"Hey, I think we have to defeat all of the clones it makes," Marie quipped.

"Can we all take part in this little challenge?" Neptune asked, to which No. 12 nodded, splitting up into at least fifty copies of itself and spreading out across the area.

"All right, you guys, let's Nep 'em all up!" Neptune proclaimed, unsheathing her katana.

Nick decided to stay rooted in his spot and use Strike Raid over and over whenever he saw a clone appear.

Plutia decided to help out as well, using her doll like a boomerang to cut through swaths of the clones all at once.

Maylin kept swiveling around, unleashing rapid Firaga spells one after another.

Haruka waited for a bunch of the clones to get bold and surround her before unleashing a Tremor that instantly took them all out.

Marie opted to use Dark Break to pogo off of as many as she could reach.

Neptune used her natural speed to keep up with the clones and use many spinning lunge attacks to cut through clones quickly.

Even Peashy helped out, letting a bunch of clones march towards her in a straight line before barreling through all of them at once.

Soon enough, a full minute had passed, and the group had defeated sixty-eight clones. No. 12 reformed at the exit to Jet Set Range, fireworks erupting above it, as it dropped another bunch of those odd synthesis materials before vanishing exactly like No. 9 had.

"Does _anyone_ know what these things' deal is?" Maylin quipped.

"To be honest, I have no idea why some of these Heartless are friendly," Haruka stated. "But they always seem to be the Mushroom type. Weird, huh?"

"As long as it's one less pest that wants us dead, I'm fine with that," Marie replied.

After crossing through the last of the Jet Set Range and back to the Ultradimension Planeptune, the group came across the sight of chaos in the city.

"Wait, what happened?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Did the enemy storm the castle while we were away?" Neptune wondered.

"Well, we don't have time to dilly," Nick quipped. "Let's go check it out!"

Once inside the city, Nick could easily see what the problem was, as many citizens were running from a strange breed of Nobody, one with a bulky body and very visible muscles, but tiny legs that almost didn't seem like they could support the weight of all that muscle. Their heads were all adorned by Viking helmets and they were carrying large, steel axes.

"Oh, great, that's JUST what we need!" Maylin groaned. "New freakin' Nobodies!"

"I'd recommend staying back," Haruka stated, analyzing the Vikings' movements and attack patterns. "These guys look like they're super strong but slower than molasses."

As one of the Vikings approached, Peashy jumped towards it, slamming both of her fists overhead and driving the Viking to the ground so Nick could get in there and bisect it with an overhead chop.

Peashy suddenly found herself surrounded by Vikings, taking a step back but quickly steadying herself.

"Not good," Peashy quipped. "Better get big! _Hard Drive Divinity, engage!_ "

A column of light surrounded Peashy, driving the Vikings around her backwards. When the light vanished, Peashy was almost completely different. She had grown much taller, almost as tall as Haruka, her hair was now straight blonde and longer, going past her shoulders, and even her breasts had grown much bigger (a point that still irked Vert, both of them). She was also wearing a skintight white bodysuit with matching thigh-high boots and a choker, all three decorated with traces of black, red, and yellow. Instead of her usual cat paw-shaped boxing gloves, she was now equipped with two large yellow claws.

"Holy _crap_ , talk about a transformation!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Yeah, she doesn't even resemble Peashy anymore," Haruka laughed.

One of the Vikings decided to take advantage of its opportunity, but Yellow Heart simply slashed through it with one of her claws.

"Who else wants some?!" Yellow Heart challenged.

Not waiting for an answer, Yellow Heart flew towards the crowd of Vikings, slashing at each one with her dual claws and doing massive damage, even outright destroying some of them immediately.

"Hey, Nick, come here! I've got a cool idea!" Yellow Heart exclaimed. Nick summoned Processor Unit and joined the fray.

"What's your idea, Peashy?" Nick asked.

"First, you jump!" Yellow Heart giggled. Nick did so and leaped into the air, only for Yellow Heart to grab him by the legs and start spinning him around rapidly.

"Second, we spin!" Yellow Heart laughed. Nick quickly got the idea and extended his keyblade outwards during the spin as Yellow Heart began to twirl around the area, using Nick and his keyblade as a pseudo-battering ram against the Vikings.

After about ten seconds of this, Yellow Heart flew high up into the air.

"And finally, the final blow!" Yellow Heart exclaimed as she swung Nick overhead and then threw him down towards the ground, right towards the center of the group of Vikings. Just before he hit the ground, Nick righted himself and planted Processor Unit into the ground, causing a gigantic column of yellow light to erupt upwards from beneath him and annihilate the remaining Vikings.

"And that's how we do it," Nick quipped.

"You don't mess with Pea's awesome Coupling Skill!" Yellow Heart laughed as she prepared to revert.

"Um, P-ko, you may wanna hold off on going back to your tiny self," Neptune proclaimed.

"Huh? Why, Neptuna?" Yellow Heart asked.

"Because we've got company," Nick stated, pointing towards a nearby pillar.

Standing at the very top of the pillar was a man dressed in the black coat of Organization XIII, with blue eyes and auburn hair slicked back into rather odd, messy spikes. He was carrying a gigantic axe sword almost effortlessly.

"I'm going to assume _you_ made those craters near the Jet Set Range?" Maylin proclaimed.

"And _I'm_ going to assume you're the one causing chaos here?" Nick challenged.

"Precisely," Lexaeus responded, leaping off of the pillar while swinging Skysplitter to slash it clean in half.

"Why are you ruining my nation?" Plutia asked, her voice lower and not as cheerful as before.

"Uh-oh, Plutie's mad," Neptune quipped.

"My reasons are none of your concern," Lexaeus countered. "Now do not squirm, and _maybe_ I will grant you a rapid death."

"I'm warning you," Plutia stated. " _Don't_ make me angry."

"Oh? And what will you do if I _do_?" Lexaeus taunted.

That seemed to be the last straw for Plutia.

"Neppy? Can I transform now?" Plutia asked.

"Normally, I'd object unless necessary, but this creep-o's cruisin' for a bruisin', if you ask me," Neptune replied. "So, Plutie, go right ahead."

"Do not make me laugh, you weak little thing," Lexaeus proclaimed.

Plutia looked up at Lexaeus, and the Silent Hero actually took a reflexive step back, not sure why he was feeling intimidated by the tiny girl's sadistic grin.

"I warned you," Plutia stated. _"Hard Drive Divinity, engage!"_

A column of purple light surrounded Plutia, causing Lexaeus to tense up. When it cleared, Plutia had become someone almost entirely different, just like Peashy had.

In this form, Plutia was a good bit taller, her hair grew longer and shifted to a shade of iris blue while her eyes went a slightly darker shade of magenta. She was now wearing a black one piece bodysuit with high heels and traces of magenta on the legs, torso, and arms, also accompanied by a set of matching earrings and a choker. She was carrying a long sword that looked like it could break apart into multiple segments to act as a whip.

"And suddenly, the dominatrix shows up!" Marie exclaimed.

"Hmph," Iris Heart huffed. "You've been a bad boy, mister axe. I think you need to be punished."

"Might as well suit up myself! _Hard Drive Divinity, engage!_ " Neptune exclaimed, transforming back into Purple Heart.

"Then that means it's my turn as well," Nick replied, letting his free hand rest on Purple Heart's head.

" _Harmonization ready! Hard Drive Divinity, engage!"_ Nick shouted.

A beam of white light thundered down from the sky and surrounded Nick, and when he emerged, he was wearing a very cyberpunk-esque outfit that looked like it had jumped straight out of TRON, complete with helmet, shoulder guards and chest plates that made it look like a suit of armor with energy lines flowing across it. The suit even featured two pairs of sharp, bladed wings. Nick's now-red eyes also had a power symbol in them, much like the other CPUs had in their goddess forms.

"So be it!" Lexaeus proclaimed. "I, Lexaeus, will not yield to the frail hearts of infantile cowards!"

Lexaeus swung Skysplitter in intimidation before rushing towards the group.

Nick quickly took notice of the subtle shimmer that surrounded Lexaeus' body as he swung Processor Unit to slash it across Lexaeus' body, only to find out that it didn't stop the Silent Hero at all, even though he clearly saw the mark on the spot where he'd attack.

That moment of hesitation cost him, as Lexaeus swung Skysplitter upwards, sending Nick flying into the air. Lexaeus pursued quickly, hooking Nick's body with the open end of the Skysplitter before smashing him back down to the ground. Pillars of earth erupted from the ground under Nick, only adding to his damage.

"Hey! No fair beating up on my little buddy!" Yellow Heart shouted, dashing in to attack Lexaeus, slashing her claws across his body and actually doing visible damage, making Lexaeus flinch back.

"So, you're not going to be as easy as the others," Lexaeus admitted as he began to duel with Yellow Heart, trading strike after strike and giving Maylin time to heal Nick.

"You all right there, Nick?" Maylin asked.

"Yeah, just... ow, just ow," Nick quipped as he hopped back to his feet. "This guy's really asking for it."

"I think we're gonna need to find a way to get through that iron defense of his first," Maylin stated. "Peashy just seems so naturally strong as Yellow Heart that she can do it just fine, but..."

"That leaves the question of how do _we_ do it," Nick replied.

Yellow Heart backflipped away as Lexaeus slammed Skysplitter into the ground three times, each strike causing rocks to erupt from the point of impact.

As Lexaeus brought Skysplitter back, this time dragging it through the ground for a more powerful attack, Nick saw his opportunity, rushing over to plant himself in front of Yellow Heart and guard against Lexaeus' slash.

When Lexaeus flinched back from the counter, Nick noticed that the shimmer surrounding the Silent Hero's body was gone, now surrounding his keyblade. Nick took advantage of that and charged forward with a super-strong uppercut that knocked Lexaeus into the air.

"He's vulnerable! Let him have it!" Nick exclaimed.

"With pleasure," Iris Heart laughed, slashing her weapon out and watching it extend whip-style to trap Lexaeus in its grip. Iris Heart began to laugh sadistically as she slammed Lexaeus into the ground over and over.

While this was happening, Purple Heart cast another 32-bit Mega Blade, timing her casting so that it would crash into Lexaeus after he'd already been slammed into the ground by Iris Heart.

Yellow Heart flew in to slash at Lexaeus' prone form with her Valkyrie Claw attack, slashing at Lexaeus' chest multiple times before stabbing with both of her claws.

"Yeah! This is so fun!" Yellow Heart giggled.

"PEASHY, GET BACK!" Haruka shouted.

Yellow Heart turned back just in time to see Lexaeus explode with power, his aura growing larger and stronger, even pushing Yellow Heart away with the sheer force alone.

"Don't think being a loudmouth means you're going to escape your punishment," Iris Heart cackled, only to jump away when Lexaeus swung Skysplitter overhead, causing rocks and debris to explode outwards from the strike like a shockwave.

"Oh, hell, that was a _lot_ stronger than before," Marie quipped.

"Then I think that means we need to take him out before he gets too strong," Nick responded.

"I'll take the reins for the moment! _Style Change: Dark Impulse!_ " Marie exclaimed as darkness exploded from Marie's body, covering her in a dark aura and surrounding her free hand with a wicked-looking dark claw.

"Hmmm... so you wield the power of darkness," Lexaeus stated.

"That's right," Marie proclaimed. "But unlike you and _your_ group of wackos, I only use the darkness to help people and protect the worlds from madness! So don't think I'm _anything_ like you!"

"Oh, we'll see," Lexaeus responded, dragging Skysplitter through the ground to strike at Marie, only for Nick to rush in and defend against the attack, using the split-second to strike at Lexaeus, once again removing his aura and leaving the Silent Hero vulnerable.

"You're mine, rock boy!" Marie proclaimed, charging towards the stumbling Lexaeus and attacking with a wicked flurry of keyblade strikes, mostly quick slashes and overhead spins, ending by thrusting her free hand forward and projecting a larger version of her dark claw forward to attack Lexaeus.

Despite this, Lexaeus quickly recovered and aimed an overhead slam for Marie, but at almost the last second, Marie created a pool of darkness underneath her and dove down into it (even avoiding damage from the rocks that exploded everywhere in the process), coming back up right under Lexaeus and projecting an even larger dark claw straight upwards, dragging the Silent Hero into the air with it.

"Oh, yeah, who's bad?!" Marie taunted.

Marie looked up just in time to see Lexaeus' aura explode back to life, much stronger and larger than before. The Silent Hero flew away from the battlefield, much to everyone's confusion.

"Um, what's he doing?" Haruka asked.

"Hey, no fair running away!" Yellow Heart shouted.

Just then, Lexaeus began to charge back towards them, a golden aura surrounding the Skysplitter.

Nick quickly decided he didn't want to be anywhere near Lexaeus when he landed.

"MOVE IT!" Nick shouted. The three CPUs each picked up a passenger, Purple Heart taking Nick, Iris Heart taking Marie, and Yellow Heart taking both Maylin and Haruka, and flying into the air just as Lexaeus came down, smashing Skysplitter into the ground and unleashing a massive shockwave from the impact point, followed by an incredible upheaval of earth that resembled a mountain.

" _That_ was close," Haruka gasped.

"We need to end this _right now_ , before he gets any stronger," Nick quipped as everyone returned to the ground. "He's out of it right now, so I think we've got our chance."

"Very well," Purple Heart proclaimed. "I'll start first! _Neptune Break!_ "

Purple Heart rushed forward, then slashed upwards with her katana to knock Lexaeus into the air, then began to attack with a barrage of rapid-fire slashes before landing on the ground, then tossing her sword upwards before catching it and slashing through Lexaeus once again, then kicking him away and flying upwards, then downwards to plant her katana into the ground, unleashing a bright column of purple light that knocked Lexaeus for a loop.

"My turn," Iris Heart laughed, floating higher into the air and raising her own weapon before coming down with both an overhead foot stomp and a downward slash, causing electricity to explode around Lexaeus, stunning him further so Iris Heart could blow a kiss that formed into four purple lasers that all converged on Lexaeus.

"My turn, my turn!" Yellow Heart giggled. She flew forward, starting with a flying dropkick, then a series of three spinning picks, then an uppercut that sent Lexaeus flying. Yellow Heart took off into the air to slam her foot into Lexaeus' face, causing the Silent Hero to crash back down to the ground, and landed to finish off with a vicious uppercut strike with her claws.

"You... you wretches... do not think you have won!" Lexaeus growled.

"Man, what's it gonna take to put you down?!" Maylin shouted.

"I will not yield so easily," Lexaeus proclaimed, lifting Skysplitter and preparing to power up to his maximum, only for Iris Heart to crack her whip across Lexaeus' back. "What was _that_ supposed to do?"

Iris Heart merely pointed behind Lexaeus, causing him to turn around just in time for Nick to rip through him with a Zantetsuken strike.

Everything was silent for a few seconds until Lexaeus dropped Skysplitter, unable to hold it any longer with his fading strength.

"You... you truly are..." Lexaeus gasped as he fell to his knees, his body beginning to evaporate. "Forgive me, Zexion... this was my mistake... a fight I never should have started..."

With that apology, Lexaeus had spoken his last, dissolving into nothingness and leaving only Skysplitter, which followed into nothingness soon after.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand VICTORY!" Maylin exclaimed. "Another member of the cult of black hoods has been terminated!"

"I think that makes six," Haruka noted. "We're almost halfway through with these guys."

"That was fun!" Peashy giggled as she, Neptune, and Plutia returned to their normal forms and Nick released his Harmonization. "Can we do that again sometime?"

"Depends on what the Organization's up to," Nick teased. "Come on, let's get back to the Basilicom and report in. I'm willing to bet Histoire's freaking out over this."

Before Nick was able to take a step, though, a strange energy surge formed in the air above him, eventually congregating into a small brown sphere of light with an imprint of the Skysplitter on it.

"And there's our second Proof," Marie stated.

"Oh, did you get a key item or something?" Neptune giggled. "Can't advance the plot without them, right?"

"We just got a Proof for defeating Lexaeus," Nick explained. "That's actually the main point of our Mark of Mastery Exam. We have to return to all the worlds we've visited recently, defeat the 'evils that lurk', and obtain the Proof that we did so. And then, we've gotta find someone who's far away from home."

"Sounds like you all have a looooooooot of work to do," Plutia stated.

"Eh, such is the life of a keyblade wielder," Haruka quipped, shrugging slightly.

"Didn't you say that earlier?" Marie giggled.

"Hey, P-ko," Neptune stated, catching Peashy's attention. "Before they go, why don't you give them the thing?"

"Oh, yeah!" Peashy gasped, reaching into her pocket to pull out a _very_ tiny doll that looked like Plutia. "Neptuna asked Plutie to make this so she could give it to you next time you guys came to visit! It's a really _tiny_ doll, but Neptuna said you'd know what to do with it."

Nick bent down to give Peashy a hug before accepting the trinket and attaching it to the end of Processor Unit. In a flash of light, the keyblade transformed. This new keyblade had a handle and blade resembling Purple Heart's katana, with handle guards resembling Yellow Heart's claws, the hilt replicating the signature N of the symbol of Planeptune, only colored violet instead of purple, the teeth resembling Histoire's wings, and the keychain looking suspiciously like Iris Heart's whip sword and ending in the tiny Plutia doll as the token. The words _Dimension Tripper_ came to Nick's mind as he studied the new keyblade.

"You can never have too many keyblades, right?" Neptune laughed.

"Isn't that the truth," Nick responded.

"Come back soon! We'd love to have you!" Peashy exclaimed.

"Yeah, I've got some more dolls to make," Plutia giggled.

"And speaking of which, I really need to get back to Histy before she has a fit," Neptune laughed. "See ya later, fellow protagonist!"

As the group went their separate ways, Strelitzia watched from the shadows of a nearby oak tree, watching Nick and his friends teleport back to the Gummi Ship.

 _I wonder..._ Strelitzia thought, staring at her fourth keyblade. _I'm worried that this particular keyblade may trigger a bit of a bad memory... but all I can really do is play it by ear when I find him again._

Strelitzia, if she was being honest, felt rather proud of herself. After all, with every time she saw Nick, he seemed to be getting more and more of his old memories back.

However, she wasn't sure if he was ready for the full truth of what had happened so very long ago. After all, Strelitzia had been there to witness everything that had happened.

"I'll help him out if it's too much for him," Strelitzia promised. "I owe him that much, after all."

Strelitzia waved her keyblade to open a portal to the Lanes Between, hoping to catch Nick before he moved on. She wanted to help him remember, but she also didn't want to distract him from his Mark of Mastery Exam, either.

It was a conundrum, honestly.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Dimension Tripper  
** _Strength:_ **21  
** _Magic:_ **9  
** _Ability:_ **Harmony Boost  
** _Description:_ A keyblade representing the CPUs of the alternate Gamindustri. Possesses incredible strength and will sometimes deal mighty critical blows, and increases the amount of time a Harmonization will last by 50%.

* * *

On the next episode:

Maylin: Oh, man, it's gonna be _great_ to see Yuuki again!

Marie: How do you figure?

Maylin: Well, it looks like she's about to go and challenge the boss of floor twenty-eight!

Marie: Wait, 'floor'?

Haruka: This world's actually inside a video game. It's confusing, I know.

Nick: Hey, I see two more of those strange Mushroom guys.

Haruka: ...and Strelitzia's here, too! Man, it's been a while, hasn't it?

Nick: ...wait. Why is her new keyblade making me feel like I wanna punch whoever had it before her?

Strelitzia: Oh, so the memories _are_ coming back.

Nick: Hold on, _what_ memories? Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "Out of the Past"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	16. Out of the Past

"That's two down already," Nick quipped, placing the Proof of Strength he'd acquired from defeating Lexaeus on the control panel, next to the Proof of Negativity. "We are on a roll."

"We're gonna be Keyblade Masters in no time, just you watch!" Maylin giggled.

"Hey, don't forget about the _other_ part of our exam," Marie cut in as the Gummi Ship approached ALfheim Online. "We still have to find that Sora kid, after all."

"Yeah, and we apparently haven't seen him since our trip to Heatherfield, since Nick said he saw Sora and his buddies crossing through portals," Haruka admitted.

"You know, I'm honestly wondering what exactly happened that's got Sora and his friends dimension hopping?" Maylin asked. "You think that evil Lily might have had something to do with that?"

"I think she said that she actually just came across Sora when he started hopping," Nick admitted. "Makes me wonder exactly what kind of shenanigans are going down in Sora's dimension right now..."

"I'll be real with you guys," Maylin stated. "I sincerely hope we don't have to deal with this Xehanort character anytime soon. Just the _name_ gives me shivers."

"At least it seems like he's sticking to his _own_ dimension for the moment," Marie replied. "I'm sure Sora's already got his hands full dealing with him."

"Considering Xehanort's probably responsible for a whole _gauntlet_ of crap over there, I think it'd be _dandy_ if he just stays away from our dimension," Maylin proclaimed.

"Okay, enough of the Xehanort talk," Nick quipped. "How about we go down there and see how Yuuki and the gang are doing?"

"Ooh, man, it's been too long!" Maylin giggled. "Our last visit felt way shorter than it really should have been, huh?"

"Well, considering what happened last time that I don't think we need to talk about anymore," Haruka teased.

"Oh, just pilot the ship, you," Maylin commanded, managing to get a laugh out of Haruka as she descended towards the world.

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Eden Riegel_ as **Marie Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** Yuuki and her guild, the Sleeping Knights, are about to tackle the fearsome boss of floor 28 of ALfheim Online, so Nick and the girls decide to tag along and keep the raid party safe from any unmentionables. On the way, however, the group encounters Strelitzia again, and now more strange memories are coming back to Nick. What exactly are these memories, and do they have something to do with Strelitzia's task as the last of the Dandelions?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **For Today's World:** Today, we're returning to the world of _Sword Art Online_ by Reki Kawahara. Once again, this takes place before the end of the Mother's Rosario arc. Also, a note: we practically know nothing about floor 28 of New Aincrad, other than that original floor had the Wolf Plains in the anime and its boss in New Aincrad was basically a giant enemy crab, so I'll be crafting my own version of the floor, much like I did in _Sword Art Online: Memory Rosario re:_ for any floors that we have no info on.

* * *

Episode 16: Out of the Past

"It looks like things are quiet here," Maylin quipped once they'd landed in ALfheim Online, once again on floor 24, Panareze, at the same tree where Yuuki had been accepting challengers a while ago. "For now, at least."

"Hey, we _definitely_ leveled up since the last time," Haruka giggled, pointing to the "heads up display" that was in her vision due to this world being a video game. "I'm level 54!"

"Well, sorry, but I'm level 56," Maylin taunted.

"Aw, dang it," Haruka sighed.

Nick just smiled triumphantly, summoning Absolute Sword and balancing it on his shoulder. "Sorry to burst your collective bubbles, girls, but I'm level 60."

"WHAT?!" Maylin and Haruka shouted, their gazes instantly snapping to Nick.

"How much grinding have you been doing?!" Maylin sputtered. "We've been traveling together for pretty much the same amount of time!"

"Y-yeah, what's up with that?" Haruka wondered.

"Probably because of all the Heartless and Unversed the Pretty Cures helped me shred back in the Blue Sky Kingdom," Nick admitted.

Marie looked up from her own "display" and glanced at the rest of the group. "Um... if I can interject, I'm apparently level 63, whatever that means here."

"W-wait, wait just a second, Marie, how are you higher level than me?!" Nick exclaimed.

"Do you have some kind of passive ability that nets you more experience?!" Maylin proclaimed.

"I-I don't know!" Marie squeaked. "I have no idea what all this is! I just looked and it said I was level 63, whatever that means..."

"Ah, the perils of being in a video game," Haruka teased.

"Okay, so where should we go from here?" Nick asked. "I don't see Yuuki anywhere, so..."

Marie tensed up slightly, turning around just in time to see another member of what Maylin had decided to call the "Mushroom XIII" appear through a dark corridor.

"Another one?" Haruka quipped.

"What do these oddballs want from us, huh?" Maylin asked.

No. 5 waved its arms before punching itself in the stomach, then quickly getting back up as if nothing had happened, then drawing what seemed like a ten with its hands, since it had no fingers to do so.

"What's it saying, fearless leader?" Maylin asked.

"I think we've gotta knock off all of its health within ten seconds or so," Nick replied. "But I think we need to go all out, because its health is gonna regenerate quickly if we don't do something."

"Then I think Master Form would be perfect for that job," Haruka quipped.

"Shall we link up, then?" Maylin giggled.

Nick extended his hands so Maylin and Haruka could take them, and one flash of light later, the three had united into Master Form, dual-wielding Absolute Sword and Counterpoint.

"Let's rock, fungus boy!" Master Form Nick shouted as No. 5 raised its hand to signal the start of the challenge. Master Form Nick immediately went to work with a Master Strike, dealing a barrage of wide spinning slashes in a spherical motion around him.

Seeing that No. 5's wounds were very quickly healing thanks to the health bar he could see above No. 5's head, Master Form Nick decided to amp it up, rapid-casting his Master Magic-enhanced Thundaga spell and dropping gigantic thunderbolts on top of No. 5, draining its health rapidly.

For the finishing touch, Master Form Nick lunged forward with his Master Magic-enhanced Firaga spell, surrounding his body with three large rings of fireballs the size of small meteors, finally draining the last of No. 5's health faster than it could regenerate.

No. 5 stopped in place and collapsed to the ground.

"Time!" Master Form Nick called to Marie, who was counting down the whole time.

"Eight seconds!" Marie exclaimed. "You did it, guys!"

No. 5 picked itself up, healed off all of its damage, and threw its arms to the sky, spreading fireworks above it. After dropping a group of the Tranquility materials, No. 5 vanished in a flash of darkness.

"Mission complete," Master Form Nick stated. "How many more do you think we've got in store?"

"We've conquered three of them so far," Marie replied. "And if they're anything like the real Organization, there should be thirteen of them in total."

Marie looked up at Master Form Nick, who was slightly confused. "What?"

"Oh, nothing, it's just..." Marie replied, a twinkle in her eyes. "You just look so _cool_ in that form."

Master Form Nick couldn't help but blush at his sister's compliment. After all, she'd said the same thing the last time they'd went trick-or-treating, when Nick had gone as Captain Jack Sparrow and Marie had gone as Elizabeth Swann.

"HEY, GUYS!"

Master Form Nick only had time to look up as Yuuki threw herself towards him, the two of the falling to the ground in the process.

Maylin recognized her own flying hug technique, having used it a lot on Nick since they'd hooked up. _Am I really rubbing off on these people?_ Maylin thought.

"It's been way too long, hasn't it?" Yuuki laughed. "I can tell just by _looking_ at you that you've gotten a lot stronger!"

"Oh, really, I hadn't noticed," Master Form Nick teased, remembering that he'd only been level 25 on his first visit to ALfheim Online, now being level 60.

Yuuki quickly took notice of the fact that Master Form Nick's voice sounded like three people talking at once, before quickly making the connection.

"Oh, cool, did you get a new form?" Yuuki asked.

"Yup," Master Form Nick replied. "We've actually learned quite a few new tricks since the last time."

"Well, how about you show them to me?" Yuuki proclaimed. "Wanna duel me?"

Yuuki wasted no time in sending Master Form Nick a duel request, which Nick noticed contained three options, one for a First Strike Duel (where the first person to land a hit was declared the winner), a Half-Loss Duel (where the duel would continue until one player dropped to below half their health), and a Total Loss Duel (where the duel continued until one player lost all their health).

"Aw, what the heck, why not," Master Form Nick replied before accepting a Half-Loss Duel and watching as a duel countdown started ticking down for both of them. "Do you want us to split up for this one?"

"Nah, stay in that form," Yuuki replied. "I wanna see everything you've got."

"All right, Yuuki, don't expect me to hold back!" Master Form Nick proclaimed as he noticed a small crowd gathering around the area.

"Whoa, it looks like the Zekken's about to duel somebody..."

"Oh, she's gonna stomp this guy!"

"I don't know, he looks pretty skilled..."

"I like the outfit, though!"

"Wait, how is he holding that other sword?"

"Seems like we're drawing an audience," Master Form Nick quipped.

"Well, I _did_ kinda put on a show the last time I had a duel," Yuuki laughed as the countdown neared its conclusion. "All right, Nick, show me what you've got!"

The countdown hit zero, and Master Form Nick and Yuuki charged for each other.

Yuuki immediately went on the offensive, rushing Master Form Nick with a Sharp Nail, in which she slashed left to right, then straight overhead. Master Form Nick raised Counterpoint to block the attack before switching Absolute Sword with his new keyblade, Dimension Tripper, and retaliating with a Master Strike while Yuuki was recovering, forcing her to back away.

Yuuki took advantage of Master Form Nick's slight delay after finishing his attack to retaliate with a Horizontal Square, in which she slashed at Master Form Nick four times in the shape of a square, then did one more slash so that the square she created with her sword converged on Master Form Nick to damage him.

As Master Form Nick flipped backwards from the attack, Yuuki quickly sheathed her sword and began to cast a spell, magic runes surrounding her body as she chanted the magic words.

Master Form Nick saw an opportunity and closed in on Yuuki before casting his souped-up Thundaga spell, dropping a couple dozen wicked thunderbolts down on Yuuki and draining her health by quite a significant chunk.

"Nice zap, but I'm not done yet!" Yuuki shouted, unsheathing her sword and slashing twice, hard enough to unleash blades of purple light from each swing. Master Form Nick blocked the first blade by raising Counterpoint to deflect it, then parried the other with a diagonal slash from Dimension Tripper.

Before Master Form Nick could get his bearings, Yuuki was right on top of him, delivering three clean slashes that sent him tumbling backwards.

Before Yuuki could attack again, Master Form Nick leaped into the air to avoid the slash, raised Counterpoint above his head and extended Dimension Tripper outwards as far as he could with his telekinetic grip, and began to twirl around, creating a magnetic energy orb around him as he spun around that began to pull Yuuki in slowly. Even though Yuuki ran as fast as she could to avoid being sucked in any further, Master Form Nick capped off the move by slashing Dimension Tripper outwards, causing the magnetic force around him to explode outwards and throw Yuuki back, her health at about sixty percent.

"Wow, is he actually going to win?"

"Nonsense! Zekken will come back! She always does!"

"That was a pretty wicked spell that guy used!"

"Yeah, that magnetic ballet spin was sick!"

Yuuki couldn't help but chuckle to herself as the audience continue to ramble on about the duel. "Sounds like you've got admirers, Nick," Yuuki giggled.

"Seems that way," Master Form Nick responded.

Yuuki leaped through the air, coming down on Master Form Nick with an overhead slash that was easily blocked.

Only then did Master Form Nick realize what Yuuki was about to do, cursing his carelessness.

Yuuki readied her sword and stabbed outwards five times, creating a horizontal line down Master Form Nick's chest. Yuuki spun around and stabbed out five more times, creating another line going the opposite way, both lines forming a sort of X. Finally, Yuuki reared back and thrust her sword forward with a loud battle cry, driving the point of her blade straight into the center of the X she'd formed with her earlier sword stabs. Purple light exploded from Master Form Nick's wounds upon impact, throwing him backwards and causing his health to drop past the halfway point to about forty percent.

With that, Yuuki was declared the winner of the duel, to the applause and cheers of the crowd.

"Nice job," Yuuki giggled as she helped Master Form Nick to his feet. "You really had me going with all those spells, honest."

"True, but I guess I should have realized that once you bust out Mother's Rosario, someone's getting toasted," Master Form Nick teased.

"And with that, I have another proposal," Yuuki quipped. "Since you're here and all."

"I'm listening," Master Form Nick responded, knowing to wait until the crowd had dispersed to unfuse again.

"My friends and I are getting ready to tackle the boss of floor 28, and if those Heartless monsters are still lurking around, we may need someone with experience fighting them, if you know what I mean," Yuuki offered.

"Good point," Master Form Nick replied. "Especially considering that now we've also got the Unversed to deal with."

"All right! Let's get going, the raid party isn't gonna wait for us!" Yuuki exclaimed, taking Master Form Nick's hands and charging off towards the teleport gate, with a slightly confused Marie in pursuit.

Once they'd cleared the crowd and reached the teleport gate, Master Form Nick split back into Nick, Maylin, and Haruka.

"That was fun," Haruka laughed. "It still feels awesome to be able to share a body and combine our powers to kick faces in, doesn't it?"

"True that," Maylin replied, leaning over to kiss Nick on the cheek, much to Yuuki's surprise.

"Holy cow, Maylin, you did it, didn't you?!" Yuuki gasped. "You actually confessed to him?!"

"Yep, not long after we left the first time," Maylin admitted, blushing slightly. "Cornelia kinda egged me into confessing, which was honestly kinda odd considering the circumstances, but..."

Maylin stepped forward and hugged Yuuki. "You were right, Yuuki. If he felt the same, he would understand. I just wanted to thank you for giving me the courage to say something about it."

"Awww, it was nothing, Maylin," Yuuki replied.

"To be fair, I was pretty confused until they explained everything, since I thought the whole 'multiple girlfriend' thing only happened in trashy romance novels," Marie admitted, to which Yuuki gasped again.

"Why does everyone keep harping on that?" Nick sighed.

"Oh, my goodness, Marie, you're alive?!" Yuuki gasped.

Before Marie could field that question, multiple Morning Stars spawned in around the group.

"Ack, what the heck?!" Marie gasped, summoning Rainfell to her hands.

"Oh, great, I was hoping to never see _these_ things for another thousand years or so," Maylin groaned, summoning Spellbinder. "I already had enough of them in Candracar when we _didn't_ need them to show up!"

Just then, Nick had an idea.

"Hey, girls," Nick quipped, catching his comrades' attention. "We _did_ get a new summon back in the Blue Sky Kingdom, right? And I don't think we've used them yet."

"Oh, good idea!" Maylin laughed. "Let's have our new contestants bring the pain!"

With that, Nick reached into his pocket even as Yuuki swung her sword to knock a spinning Morning Star away, retrieving the Gamer Charm and holding it into the sky. Maylin and Haruka, and even Marie this time, were surrounded by auras of light before vanishing completely.

 _This charm must be more powerful than the others, then, if it needs Marie's power as well,_ Nick thought.

 **("Sehagaga Ganbacchau!" by MAO, Minami Takahashi & Shiori Izawa plays)**

Nick held the Gamer Charm aloft and let it float out of his hands and into the air before summoning Dimension Tripper to his hands. Nick held his keyblade up, causing a multi-colored magic glyph to appear in front of him, before using his keyblade to trace the symbols imprinted on the Gamer Charm onto the glyph, namely a silver and angled S, a large orange swirl, and a black controller.

A second later, Nick stabbed his keyblade through the glyph, and the symbols turned into beams of light that streaked into the air before forming into the Sega Hard Girls themselves.

Dreamcast was the first to land, followed by Saturn and Mega Drive. All three of them already had their weapons out and ready.

"You girls ready to rock?" Nick quipped.

"Oh, you know it!" Dreamcast laughed, brandishing her Dream Blade.

"Let's rid the world of these pests!" Saturn shouted, summoning her staves, the Twin Sticks.

"Shall we?" Mega Drive stated, opening her 16-BITpedia and getting ready to cast a spell.

One of the Morning Stars began to spin towards Dreamcast, but she cleaved it in two with an overhead chop. Another one spun around Dreamcast, attempting to go after Saturn, but she easily countered the attack with both of her Twin Sticks, then slashed both of them through the Morning Star.

Mega Drive flipped to a specific page in her 16-BITpedia and used its writing to cast an ice spell, launching an icicle spear through a trio of Morning Stars.

Even as the Morning Stars were vanquished, a pack of Nightwalkers spawned in to follow them.

Nick knew Maylin would be screaming if she was here right now, as she hated Nightwalkers. And that was a sentiment he definitely shared.

"Hey, Nick, hop on in!" Dreamcast exclaimed, raising her Dream Blade to spawn a large four-seater taxi.

"Taxi, huh?" Nick quipped. "Unorthodox, but it works. Let's go Crazy Taxi on their asses!"

Nick hopped into the front seat and took the wheel after the Sega Hard Girls took their own seats. After strapping themselves in, Nick started driving the Crazy Taxi into the horde of Nightwalkers, obliterating most of them on contact with the taxi, and for the few that tried to get tricky, Nick simply spun the taxi around like a whirling dervish, catching the fleeing Nightwalkers and eliminating them.

After hopping out of the Crazy Taxi, three more Heartless spawned. Nick recognized one of them as the Chill Ripper they'd fought back at Watchpoint Antarctica, but two other similar Heartless had joined it. All three looked mostly the same, only the second one had blades of molten lava and the third had jagged, lightning bolt shaped blades.

"Oh, so he brought his friends this time," Nick sighed.

The Chill Ripper prepared to strike, but Mega Drive was already on the attack, opening her tome and encasing the Chill Ripper in a large, aquatic blue energy cube. Raising her hand, then snapping it down, Mega Drive cast another cube spell, the two cubes overlapping around the Chill Ripper before they both shattered, destroying the Chill Ripper easily.

The Heat Saber lunged for Saturn, but she dodged backwards before raising the Twin Sticks and shooting a large fireball into the air, which expanded into a gigantic glyph that rained down laser blasts onto the Heat Saber, effortlessly eliminating it.

The Blitz Spear seemed to be a little trickier, constantly dancing around to avoid any attacks, but Nick rectified that by casting Blizzaga on it, freezing the Blitz Spear in its place.

"Thanks, Nick! Now watch as I end this swiftly!" Dreamcast proclaimed, swinging her Dream Blade like wildfire and unleashing many, _many, MANY_ blades of orange energy with each swing to cut into the Blitz Spear's body, ending with one final dashing slash and flourish that beheaded the Blitz Spear, its body fading away.

"And that's how we take care of business," Saturn stated matter-of-factly.

The Sega Hard Girls all regrouped and performed a group pose as they all vanished to return to the Gamer Charm, allowing Maylin, Haruka, and Marie to reappear.

"You guys just keep surprising me every time I see you again, huh?" Yuuki laughed.

"Like I said, we've grown a _lot_ stronger since the last time we were in town," Nick quipped.

"And yes, Yuuki, I'm alive," Marie stated. "Apparently, my heart was resting with Nick's for a while after he beat me, and when he got his keester handed to him by a personification of his inner darkness, it freed me!"

"Honestly, I've never been so happy to get my ass kicked," Nick admitted.

"All right, how about we get to the labyrinth before the raid party gets a leg up on us?" Yuuki stated.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," Maylin laughed.

Yuuki raised a hand to the teleport gate. "Teleport: Aquarion!" Yuuki shouted, a bright light surrounding all five of them before warping them into a large city that resembled Venice, Italy, complete with completely flooded waterways.

"Wow, this place is _sweet_!" Maylin gasped.

"It really does look lovely," Haruka admitted.

"That's what I thought," Yuuki giggled. "This is Aquarion, the capital city of floor 28. It's got a really nice vibe to it, so a lot of players tend to take 'vacations' here."

"Okay, so where's this labyrinth we're looking for?" Nick asked.

"Just follow me! The raid party should be just about to head out!" Yuuki stated.

And so, the entire group followed Yuuki to the outskirts of the city, where the raid party was standing in front of the entrance to the floor labyrinth along with the other members of Yuuki's guild, the Sleeping Knights. The raid leader, a Salamander, was proclaiming that today was the day they would defeat the boss of floor 28 and move on to the next floor.

"He says the same thing every time, honestly," Yuuki admitted. "I usually just focus on the battle ahead."

"Um, excuse me, mister leader?" a Cait Sith with purple hair stated. "I think there's something in front of the labyrinth door."

The Salamander captain turned around to investigate, and sure enough, there was a large monster standing by the gate to the labyrinth.

"W-wait, what is this?" the Salamander gasped. "Monsters shouldn't be in the safe zones!"

"Wait, could it be a Field Boss?" a Spriggan wondered.

"Or is it one of those glitchy monsters from the other day?!" a Gnome exclaimed.

Nick peeked over the heads of the raid party to investigate, and the sight confirmed his suspicions.

It was yet another member of the Mushroom XIII.

"Okay, I'm _really_ starting to wonder what these guys are here for," Maylin wondered as the four keyblade wielders walked up to it.

"Maybe it's just to test us?" Haruka wondered. "All of the other Mushroom types of Heartless always had a challenge for us to overcome."

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" Marie giggled as she watched No. 3 juggling a small sphere in its hands before letting it fall and then picking it up, then pointing to them. "Translation, big bro?"

"I think it's gonna drop a bunch of those spheres that it's juggling, and we've gotta collect as many as we can in about a minute or so," Nick explained. "Are all four of us allowed to take part?"

No. 3 nodded in approval before leaping into the air and floating around, dropping colorful orbs beneath it as it flew through the air. The group split up to watch for which way it would go so they could collect the orbs no problem. Nick quickly switched his keyblade to Psychic Punch, since its inherent ability allowed him to attract objects from further distances.

After about twenty seconds, No. 3 began dropping larger clusters of orbs, though it also started flying faster around the area to compensate. Nick and Maylin decided to utilize Quick Run, the Advancing Form Ability granted to them by using Wisdom Form so much, to dart around whenever No. 3 changed direction to fake them out, Haruka decided to use her Air Slide to stay after it in the air, and Marie continued to cartwheel around while enhancing the move with her dark powers to make her go faster.

Once a minute had elapsed, the group made one final check of how many orbs they'd snagged thanks to the counter on their HUD. Between the four of them, they'd collected a total of four hundred and eighty five orbs.

No. 3 landed on the ground in front of the labyrinth gate and threw its arms up in a victory sign, fireworks erupting above it. Like the others, No. 3 dropped a cluster of Tranquility materials before vanishing.

"Four down," Haruka quipped. "Hopefully we'll figure out what their game is soon enough."

"No kidding," Nick stated as he walked up to the gate and placed his palm over the runes that decorated it, causing the doorway to open and allow access to the labyrinth.

"Okay, question," Maylin asked. "Are we gonna run into any _other_ monsters on our trip?"

"I don't think we'll have too much trouble with them," Yuuki answered. "After all, we've already cleared the labyrinth itself. All that's left here is the boss."

"Well, then how about we go stomp a boss?" Nick proclaimed, psyching himself up for the battle ahead.

The trip through the labyrinth in question, which resembled ancient flooded ruins, was relatively quiet, since most of the labyrinth had already been cleared.

"Hey, Nick?" Maylin asked as she swung Spellbinder to cut down another Nightwalker that had hopped in her way. "I just thought of something."

"What's up?" Nick responded, firing off a Thunder spell to obliterate a Morning Star that was leaping over Yuuki.

"Apparently, when it comes to this world, the Heartless have only been spotted inside this game," Maylin quipped. "Yuuki said that her friends have never once seen them in the real world here."

"Wait, does that mean that, technically, everyone in the game is safe?" Marie asked. "Since everyone here is just their game avatar?"

"That'd be nice," Haruka stated. "One less problem for us to deal with."

After everything was said and done, it only took about twenty minutes for the entire party to reach the gateway to the boss arena.

However, someone was standing in front of the gate.

"Aw, man, _another_ boss?!" a Gnome proclaimed. "It wasn't there the last time we went through the labyrinth!"

After a closer inspection, Nick recognized the figure in question.

"Strelitzia?"

Indeed, it was Strelitzia standing in front of the boss gate, once again carrying a different keyblade. This keyblade in particular was the bulkiest of the keyblades Strelitzia had used thus far. The handle was gray, and the guard and outer base was jagged and dark blue in color. A brown bear with red eyes was set at the base, the shaft is brown with a very wide black area in the middle, cream engravings adorned the dark area, the end of the blade curved back towards the base, and this and a bit protruding from that side formed the keyblade's C-shaped teeth. The keychain was made of red gems connected by a brownish chain and a brown token with the Master's Gazing Eye at the center.

"It's good to see you again, Nick," Strelitzia giggled. "I trust your Mark of Mastery Exam is going well?"

"Already got two Proofs," Nick replied, knowing that Strelitzia most likely had known for a while, thanks to her Book of Prophecies.

"I believe in you," Strelitzia stated quite profoundly. "I always have."

Nick curiously glanced at Strelitzia's new keyblade, wondering what exactly he was feeling.

Just as he was about to ask Strelitzia if she knew anything about this odd feeling, a sharp pain suddenly lanced through Nick's mind, and he felt incredibly weak for some strange reason.

Nick's senses began to shut down even as his friends frantically called his name...

...and when he opened his eyes, he was elsewhere.

Nick shook his head to clear the haze from his mind and assess his new surroundings. He was currently standing near a large apartment complex of a town that looked very much like a cross between Traverse Town and the castle town of the Blue Sky Kingdom.

Nick raised his keyblade just in case he needed to defend himself, only to see that he wasn't wielding Psychic Punch anymore. Instead, his hand now held the Starlight keyblade that Elyon had once wielded when she'd first acquired a keyblade.

"Um... okay, now I'm _really_ confused," Nick quipped, deciding to start walking around and explore this new setting, hopefully to find some answers.

When Nick rounded a corner and began to walk towards the clock tower in the distance, a pack of Wizards spawned in front of him, their staves all aimed at him.

"Oh, lordy, not _you_ freaks again," Nick groaned, raising Starlight to do battle.

The Wizards fired off spells for Nick, but he quickly cast Reflect to defend himself before dispelling the barrier and launching himself like a rocket straight for two of the Wizards, slicing through them both with a horizontal slash.

The three remaining Wizards all cast a Thunder spell, causing lightning bolts to rain down on Nick from above. Nick dodged through the bolts and blasted the Wizards back with a Ripple Drive, then leaped forward to bisect one of them with an overhead strike, knowing that these Heartless were immune to all magic spells.

 _Wait, didn't our upgraded keyblades get past that hurdle?_ Nick thought, still lost as to what exactly was going on.

Finally, after finishing off the last Wizard with a Hurricane Period, Nick landed gracefully on the ground, only to notice that someone was observing him.

"Um...?" Nick asked, only for the figure in question, Strelitzia herself, to squeak in fright and attempt to retreat.

"Hey, hey, I'm not gonna hurt you!" Nick exclaimed.

 _Hold on, I was gonna ask her what's going on,_ Nick thought. _Why is my body not saying what I want to say? Did I lose control of myself, or am I just along for the ride in this flashback?_

Strelitzia backed up a step before composing herself and walking closer to Nick.

"I'm... I'm sorry if I scared you..." Strelitzia squeaked.

"Hey, that was supposed to be _my_ line," Nick teased, causing Strelitzia to chuckle. "What's up?"

"My... my name is Strelitzia," Strelitzia answered. "I hope you don't think I'm creepy or anything by saying this, but... I've been f-following you for a while. I-I'm not a stalker, in case you were wondering! I-I was just... I just wanted to see you in action, and... well..."

Strelitzia blushed madly before continuing. "You're so amazing... so much stronger than I ever could have believed... I wanted to talk to you for quite a while, but I... I didn't know if I could get that chance... I didn't want you to think I'm weird or anything..."

"Well, trust me, Strelitzia, when you've seen all the crazy crap that _I've_ seen, not much really registers as _weird_ anymore," Nick admitted.

"T-that's good..." Strelitzia sighed.

 _Oooooookay, now I'm getting a little disturbed,_ Nick thought. _Why is this almost exactly like how I already met Strelitzia? Is... is this person_ _ **me**_ _? WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!_

Nick's musings were interrupted by the sound of what seemed to be keyblades clashing, and an argument starting up.

"What was that?" Nick asked, a small cat-like creature with grey fur and black stripes floating up to him. "Chirithy, did you hear that?"

"It sounded like it was coming from the fountain," Chirithy commented.

"L-Let's go check it out!" Strelitzia proclaimed, summoning her own keyblade, which appeared to be a massively upgraded version of the Starlight keyblade Nick was currently wielding.

When Nick and Strelitzia arrived at the fountain plaza, the first thing they noticed was that two keyblade wielders were arguing with other, their keyblades already drawn.

"Not again..." Chirithy groaned.

Nick sighed in annoyance as well. He'd seen this sight far too many times in the past few weeks, keyblade wielders from different Unions arguing over what they thought was best for the world.

 _That settles it, then,_ Nick thought. _I must be seeing events from this me's perspective, which would explain why I know about these things I've never seen before._

"We probably shouldn't get involved," Nick's Chirithy stated. "I know it frustrates you, Nick, but we can't fix everything."

"It feels like _everyone's_ got a bone to pick these days," Strelitzia's Chirithy sighed. "I just hope things don't get any worse..."

When the two keyblade wielders raised their weapons, their intent obvious, Nick decided he'd had enough, bringing Starlight to bear and charging the other wielders himself, blasting the both away from each other with a Ripple Drive.

"Knock it off," Nick growled. " _Both of you._ Aren't we all supposed to be on the same side here?!"

"Are we, now?" the wielder in white overalls shot back. "Then why did they steal the Lux that was rightfully _ours_?!"

"What nonsense are you spouting _now_?!" the wielder in casual blue proclaimed. "All we're doing is protecting the light. I'll bet good money that your Union has fallen to darkness, you traitors!"

"What was that?!" the wielder in white overalls growled. "Can you prove that _you're_ not the traitor?!"

"Stop it!" Strelitzia shouted. "Why are you fighting?! We're supposed to be working together!"

"Mind your damn business!" the wielder in casual blue shot back, ready to strike at Strelitzia until another girl came rushing to the scene, putting herself between the two.

This new arrival had long black hair and light brown eyes, and was wearing pink star earrings. She was wearing a grey, zippered shirt under a black vest, and a studded belt around her black skirt, a red belt wrapped around her left arm, and two around her ankles, black boots and knee-high stockings.

"Didn't the lady say _stop_?!" Skuld proclaimed.

"Skuld, thank goodness," Strelitzia's Chirithy sighed.

"And who the hell are _you_?" the wielder in casual blue snapped. "Which Union are _you_ a part of?!"

"What does it even matter?" Skuld shot right back. "Our only enemy here is the darkness. Keyblades were never meant to harm their fellow wielders!"

"Oh, put a sock in it," the wielder in white overalls growled. "Anyone who tries to steal light is no different than a denizen of the darkness!"

"W-what?!" Skuld gasped as more keyblade wielders approached.

"The war's already begun," the wielder in casual blue proclaimed.

"That's right."

Nick spun towards the source of the new voice and immediately tensed up.

It was a muscular young man who hid his face under a dark grey bear mask. His tan, hooded cloak covered a robe, shirt, and sash that were all light brown in coloration and have black embroidering with gold tassels on the front of his cloak.

It was Aced, leader of the Ursus Union.

"A-Aced?" Strelitzia squeaked.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Nick wondered.

"We can only truly trust our own Unions, after all," Aced proclaimed. "We are unable to ascertain who has fallen to darkness by glances alone. So, I ask you this: why fight over Lux? Light is not proof of strength. _Victory_ is proof of strength. And a strong Union is proof of justice."

"What are you talking about?!" Skuld shouted.

"You disagree with me?" Aced growled, advancing on Skuld. "You _are_ one of Ava's chosen wielders, are you not? One of the _Dandelions_?"

Nick didn't like the way Aced said that word, instinctively gripping the handle of Starlight tightly. If he had to, he would, even if he knew he wouldn't stand much chance against a Foreteller.

"You of all people should be able to see that she's using this special Union of hers to flaunt her own power," Aced proclaimed.

Though Skuld had fallen silent, Nick decided to step up and defend his friend. Even if he hadn't talked to Skuld much, she was still a valuable ally to him.

"I'm not one of the Dandelions," Nick stated.

"Oh? Then which Union _are_ you a part of?" Aced stated.

"Anguis," Nick answered.

"Then... prepare yourself," Aced proclaimed, summoning his keyblade.

Nick quickly readied Starlight in preparation as Aced came barreling towards him, attacking with an overhead slash. Nick raised Starlight to counter the blow, only to nearly be knocked off his feet at the insane force of Aced's strike.

"Master Invi _did_ say he's the physical strongest of the Foretellers," Nick stated to himself. "So that means brute force won't do me any good here. Gotta strategize for this one..."

Nick shoved Starlight forward to push Aced away before taking a step back, then flying forward with a Hurricane Period, pushing Aced back slightly but not doing much damage.

However, this did accomplish Nick's intent, as Aced ripped forward with a vicious stab attack, only for Nick to dodge to the left and use a Ripple Drive to knock Aced backwards. Nick noticed that Ripple Drive had done much more damage than Hurricane Period had.

"Guess that means magic is his weakness," Nick quipped. "All right, let's do this!"

While Aced recovered, Nick swung Starlight three times, casting Blizzard on each swing. This caused three diamond-shaped ice crystals to fire out from Starlight and strike Aced in the chest.

Before Nick could think of a follow-up, Aced roared loudly and charged him again, and this time, Nick was unable to counter in time as Aced swung his keyblade and clipped Nick's shoulder, forcing him to the ground.

Aced wasn't done yet, however, and picked Nick up by his shirt collar, then tossing him into the air and swinging his keyblade like a baseball bat, catching Nick in the chest and spiking him straight _through_ a nearby pillar.

"NICK!" Strelitzia and Skuld shouted.

Aced simply marched to where Nick had fallen. "Pathetic excuse for a keyblade wielder," Aced proclaimed. "Did you really think you could defeat me?"

"Y-Y- _You're_... the one who... picked a fight with me," Nick gasped. That last attack had hurt like _hell_ , after all. _Didn't really feel good for me, either,_ Nick thought.

"How _dare_ you, you insolent brat!" Aced bellowed, grabbing Nick by the neck and powerslamming him into the ground, cracking the stone in places upon impact.

"Stand down, Aced," another voice called. Aced looked up to see a young man who hid his face under a white unicorn mask with a gold trim. His white, hooded cloak covered a robe, shirt, and sash that are all light blue in coloration with gold embroidering, and gold tassels on the front of his cloak.

"Ira," Aced growled.

Ira, leader of the Unicornis Union, stepped through the crowd and stared down Aced. "You are supposed to be a proper master," Ira proclaimed. "How dare you raise your keyblade against a fellow wielder?"

"I was merely testing his strength," Aced stated.

 _Oh, yeah, sure,_ Nick thought as Strelitzia and Skuld rushed over to check on him.

"I came because I sensed your bloodlust," Ira responded. "What is the meaning of this?"

"You know that the Keyblade War is inevitable and unavoidable," Aced shot back. "Invi, Gula, Ava, and yes, even you, Ira. All so desperate to collect more Lux than the other Unions. The battle is already underway. You just made the problem _worse_ , in my opinion."

"Are you saying we need to be more forceful in our actions?" Ira gasped.

"A leader must be strong to control the world," Aced shot back. "I'm not hunting for Lux. I'm hunting for soldiers. A strong organization is imperative. When it comes to maintaining the balance, this world only needs _one_ leader. When I'm finished, I'll banish the four of you, and unify all of the Unions under _my_ name!"

"I would advise against overestimating yourself, Aced," Ira warned. "You're not as strong as you think. And you know that pride always comes before a fall. Would you prefer I showed you?"

"I'll be waiting, then," Aced stated. "At the place of the destined final battle."

Aced opened a portal of light and walked into it, leaving Ira to his thoughts.

Nick attempted to pick himself up, but pain lanced through his mind and he fell flat on his face, unable to hear the panic of Strelitzia as his vision faded away.

When Nick was able to open his eyes, he found himself back in front of the boss gateway, where Strelitzia was patiently waiting, balancing herself on Ursus.

"Um, Nick, you wanna explain what the heck just happened?!" Maylin exclaimed. "You kinda zonked out for a few minutes!"

"I was honestly wondering that myself," Nick replied, looking down at his right hand to see Psychic Punch once again firmly in his grasp. "Strelitzia?"

"Your memories are coming back," Strelitzia answered.

"Okay, I'm still confused," Nick responded. "You know I'm only fifteen, Strelitzia, so what's going on here?"

"Well, I think it would be more accurate to call the you that you saw your 'past self'," Strelitzia explained. "That was... well, another part of my task."

"Speaking of which, is there any more you can tell us right now?" Haruka asked. "After all, if Nick was a part of all that madness in a previous life, I'd think it was pretty important."

Strelitzia lifted Ursus out of the ground and let it rest on her shoulder as she told the next part of her tale.

"As you know, Nick, I'm a Dandelion, a keyblade wielder chosen by my master, Foreteller Ava, to keep light alive," Strelitzia explained. "She told me that our world would soon come to an end, and so she inducted me into the Dandelions to prepare ourselves. But... but then..."

Nick noticed that Strelitzia had started crying, and walked up to give her a hug. "Is everything all right, Strelitzia?"

Strelitzia looked up at Nick, noticing that his concerned gaze was exactly like it had been all those years ago.

"Master Ava..." Strelitzia started, only to trip on her words, as if she couldn't bear to say the next sentence.

But Nick understood.

"She was the one who was killed, right?" Nick asked. "By the supposed traitor?"

"Y-yes... Master Ava was struck down by the traitor... but... Master Invi, _your_ Foreteller, was the one who gave me my Book of Prophecies, even after the other Foretellers destroyed their own books," Strelitzia explained.

"Wait, I missed a few chapters," Marie cut in. "If they can see the future with those books, why did they destroy them?"

"To ensure that the tragedy of Ava's death could never be repeated," Strelitzia answered. "A few days after Ava's fall, Master Invi gave me the Book of Prophecies that I have now, saying that Ava had created it with the Master of Masters' approval, to continue the task that I had been groomed for as a Dandelion. Ava actually intended to make _me_ a Foreteller, one of five new Foretellers to lead the Unions after the Keyblade War..."

"But the Keyblade War never came to pass, right?" Maylin stated. "Because Izanami-no-Mikoto happened soon after."

Strelitzia nodded, not wanting to relive the memory. After all, she had been there when Izanami-no-Mikoto had attacked, unable to do anything but watch as the demon slaughtered everyone.

"I was put in stasis by my book not long after, per Ava's intent, knowing that if you came to back to life at some point, then I would awaken as well, and know that the darkness would be encroaching again," Strelitzia continued. "But... by the time I woke up..."

"Izanami-no-Mikoto was already dead and gone, courtesy of us," Maylin quipped.

"Yes, I was so surprised to discover that you had defeated the goddess," Strelitzia responded. "I'm still not sure _how_ , to be honest..."

"Because I was fighting back," Marie answered. "I was one of the vessels she had been split into by the Master of Masters."

"W-wait, you knew him?" Strelitzia gasped.

"Well, kind of," Marie admitted. "Maylin told me the story when I came back to life. She said that the Master of Masters eventually was able to defeat Izanami-no-Mikoto and split her into the three avatars, then gave his life to seal the Keyblade Graveyard in darkness so no one could ever reach it again. I guess that Mariko Kusumi chick must have found a way to break the seal..."

"All right, Strelitzia, I just have one more question, if you can answer it," Nick stated. "Where do _I_ fit into all of this insanity?"

Strelitzia just winked. "Next time."

Nick sighed mentally, realizing that he should have seen that coming. "All right, then, I assume you want to have another duel?" Nick quipped.

"How'd you guess?" Strelitzia giggled, bringing Ursus back into a fighting stance.

"Am I the only one confused here?" Yuuki asked.

"You're not the only one, trust me," the Salamander raid leader replied.

Nick switched his keyblade to Absolute Sword as Strelitzia charged for him, raising the keyblade as Strelitzia attacked with an overhead swing from Ursus.

When the two keyblades clashed, Nick was nearly driven to his knees from the sheer force of Strelitzia's strike...

...much like what Aced had done to him in the flashback.

 _Well, I guess I know her gimmick this time,_ Nick thought, shoving Absolute Sword forward to push Strelitzia back, only for her to slash again. Nick was able to dodge this one, but Ursus collided with the ground just under him and causing it to explode outwards in an upheaval of stone, blasting Nick back a few feet.

"Holy _crap_ , that keyblade made her Hercules strong!" Maylin gasped.

Nick quickly recovered and raised his keyblade. "Okay, Strelitzia, here's where I get serious! _Style Change: Fever Pitch!_ " Nick shouted, his body and keyblade suddenly enveloped in a bright green aura.

Strelitzia leaped through the air to attack from above, but Nick leaped to meet her and went on the offensive before she could strike, attacking with four ultra-fast diagonal swings and ending with a combo finisher that spun him forward like a drill to push Strelitzia back.

The instant Strelitzia landed, she spun Ursus around in her hand, a small field of snowflakes surrounding her.

" _Style Change: Diamond Dust!"_ Strelitzia shouted, her body and keyblade emitting a light blue glow, and her body surrounded by a small whirlwind of snowflakes.

Nick decided he didn't want to wait and experience the full brunt of Strelitzia's new Command Style, darting forward to attack with four lightning-quick swings before swiping Absolute Sword straight upwards, causing five beams of light to shoot out in a fan-shaped formation from underneath him and damage Strelitzia.

Despite this, Strelitzia appeared to have barely taken any damage from the attack.

"Okay, this could be trouble," Nick quipped even as Strelitzia moved in to attack herself, swinging Ursus four times, each strike trailing ice energy and creating ice pillars under Nick with each impact. Eventually, Strelitzia finished her combo by slashing twice in a spiral formation, causing two rings of ice blocks to spin around her, sending Nick stumbling back towards the raid party.

"Not bad, Strelitzia," Nick gasped, casting Curaga on himself to get back into the fray. "But I've actually got something to show you."

"Which is?" Strelitzia asked, keeping Ursus in a fighting stance, only to hear what sounded like a jaunty tune resounding in her mind.

"Hey, I can hear it, too," Haruka stated.

Marie looked over the crowd and saw that it was coming from Nick, whose body was surrounded by tiny music notes.

"Let's see if you can groove to _this_ beat! _Style Change: Rhythm Mixer!_ " Nick shouted, an electric blue aura exploding to life around him. Two pulsing energy cubes appeared and began to float around his body.

Strelitzia gladly decided to meet the challenge, gliding across the ground like she was ice-skating, thanks to her Style Change, swinging Ursus out to knock Nick into the air, only for Nick to counter by spinning Absolute Sword like a windmill to block the strike. While Nick spun his keyblade, the sound of a reverb could be heard.

"Wait, wait, wait, is big bro fighting with _music_ now?" Marie wondered.

"Hey, it's stylish!" Maylin proclaimed. "I can certainly dig it!"

With Strelitzia off balance, Nick went on the offensive, starting his attack by stabbing forward four times, each strike making a drum beat sound on impact, then following up with two wide, diagonal spinning attacks, and then a forward spiral attack. Each spin played the sound of a record needle scratch as Nick attacked.

For the combo finisher, Nick swung Absolute Sword upwards, creating four large energy cubes similar to the two that were orbiting his body, and then slamming Absolute Sword down, causing the cubes to converge on Strelitzia and explode, doing some serious damage.

Not wanting to give Strelitzia a chance to strike back, Nick channeled his newfound power and created three circles of light around Strelitzia and diving into the space between them.

Before Strelitzia could get her bearings, Nick began to hop between the three circles, each one playing a tune to the rhythm of Nick's jumps and damaging Strelitzia with short-range bursts of light.

When the tune reached its conclusion, the rings converged on each other and Nick leaped out of the center, creating a multi-colored shockwave that threw Strelitzia backwards on impact.

"I give, I give," Strelitzia laughed, getting back on her feet. "That was quite an impressive new style there."

"Honestly, I just thought of it on the fly," Nick admitted. "Glad to see it worked."

"Well, I really should get going now," Strelitzia replied, opening her Book of Prophecies. "I still have some things to do. But I promise, Nick, I'll tell you everything the next time we meet. I know it's frustrating, but..."

"It's just what you were told," Nick responded. "You're just following your Foreteller's orders, right?"

"Precisely," Strelitzia stated, walking over to kiss Nick on the cheek before placing something in his free hand and vanishing in a flash of orange light.

"And the rabbit hole just gets deeper and deeper, doesn't it?" Marie quipped.

Nick looked at what Strelitzia had given him, a keychain token shaped like a five-pointed gold star, and attached it to his own keyblade. To Nick's surprise, the keyblade transformed into Starlight, the one he'd been using in the flashback.

"Okay, you guys, enough of the confusing stuff," Yuuki proclaimed. "Let's get in there and take down this boss already!"

"Oh, crap, you're right!" Haruka exclaimed. "I'd almost forgotten what we were even doing here... wow, Haruka, not really a good look for you..."

"I think we all got distracted by Nick zonking out on us," Maylin giggled.

Yuuki decided to do the honors and place her hand on the boss gate, which caused the ancient runes engraved on it to start glowing, before slowly opening and revealing the boss arena.

And sure enough, the boss was waiting for them at the center of the arena, a large crustacean monster with four gigantic claws.

"Holy seafood, it's the giant enemy crab!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Shall we commence the beatdown before Maylin makes the obvious joke?" Nick asked, bringing Starlight into a fighting stance.

"Oh, you'd better believe it," Yuuki laughed, unsheathing her own sword.

As Nick and Yuuki prepared to rush the giant crab together, the monster suddenly started glitching out, its appearance becoming distorted and wobbly.

"Hey, did the boss glitch?" a Cait Sith gasped.

"I thought that whole glitching monsters thing stopped!" a Spriggan proclaimed.

Yuuki gazed ahead and locked eyes with the supposed culprit, another figure in a black hood and robe, with short platinum blonde hair and blue eyes, four helix piercings on his ears, two for each, and a silver earring shaped like the Nobody symbol on his right ear.

"I don't remember inviting _you_ ," Yuuki stated. "This raid is for trusted friends _only,_ buddy. You wanna explain yourself?"

Luxord simply waved his hand, and the large crustacean exploded into glowing polygons of light that rained down on the arena. A large "CONGRATULATIONS!" banner appeared above the arena as well, as the game no doubt believed the boss to be defeated.

"Whoa, did he just one-shot that boss?!" Jun exclaimed.

"He's clearly no joke," Tecchi stated.

Siune clutched her staff, ready to assist when needed.

"The darkness of people's hearts," Luxord proclaimed, walking around the area. "Drawn to these wonderful games and battles."

As Luxord spoke, a large Heartless floated down from the sky, absorbing the light particles left behind by the boss's defeat. The Heartless in question was vaguely humanoid and very emaciated, with no legs and skin colored a dark pink, glowing yellow eyes surrounded by black rings, a head resembling a human skull with a wide crest resembling a headdress and two curved black horns. The creature had a very long neck, wore a black and steel-blue garment with the Heartless emblem on the front. The lower body was covered by a small black and steel-blue skirt with white bandages wrapped around it, and it wore numerous black gauntlets. It was also carrying a long black staff ending in a wide anchor-like blade on one end and a small heart-shaped blade on the other end.

"And this Heartless, a veritable maelstrom of avarice," Luxord continued. "I wonder... are they worthy to serve Organization XIII?"

"Dude, you _really_ want an answer _right this second?_ " Maylin growled, summoning Counterpoint.

"Precisely," Luxord laughed before vanishing into a corridor of darkness.

The Grim Reaper swung its blade in a wide, sweeping motion, obviously intending to behead many of the players, but Yuuki was over in a flash to stop the attack cold.

"No PK-ing on _my_ watch, reaper boy!" Yuuki shouted. "All right, Sleeping Knights, let's throw down!"

Talken and Nori charged into the fray and began to strike at the Grim Reaper's body, while Jun and Tecchi stayed close and raised their shields, ready to switch in and defend if needed. Siune stayed back by the raid party, her staff raised as she cast a defense buff on her guildmates.

Naturally, Yuuki went right for the front of the Grim Reaper, even though it surrounded itself with wind and teleported to another part of the arena.

Nick drowned out Yuuki's complaint by casting a Blizzaga spell at the Grim Reaper, freezing it in its place and allowing the Sleeping Knights to go all-out.

Even when the Blizzaga spell wore off, Siune cast another ice spell to freeze the Grim Reaper in its spot, allowing Yuuki to move in for the finishing blow.

"And here's the kill!" Yuuki shouted as she readied her sword and stabbed outwards five times, creating a horizontal line down the Grim Reaper's chest. Yuuki spun around and stabbed out five more times, creating another line going the opposite way, both lines forming a sort of X. Finally, Yuuki reared back and thrust her sword forward with a loud battle cry, driving the point of her blade straight into the center of the X she'd formed with her earlier sword stabs. Purple light exploded from the Grim Reaper's wounds upon impact, and it collapsed to the ground, stone-cold and unmoving.

"Wow, was that it?" Yuuki proclaimed. "Give me a challenge next time, skull head!"

Yuuki quickly tensed up when she saw the Grim Reaper rose back to full height and transformed. Now, the Grim Reaper had taken on a wilder and more rotted appearance, with its ribs more clearly exposed and its clothing tattered. Its skin had become a light shade of pink and its clothing becomes predominantly a periwinkle color. The crest on its head had gained a heart-shaped hole in it and its pendulum blades had become larger. Three small, ghostly skulls the same color as the Grim Reaper's skin were flying around it, each sporting glowing yellow eyes and Heartless emblems on their foreheads.

"I had to say something, didn't I?" Yuuki groaned as the Grim Reaper rushed towards her much faster than it had in its normal self.

Nick was there in a flash to block the Grim Reaper's scythe with a Reflect spell, before shattering the barrier and throwing the damage back into the Grim Reaper's face.

"This is where _we_ step up to the plate," Nick proclaimed.

"CHARGE!" Maylin shouted, and all four keyblade wielders rushed to battle the Grim Reaper.

Haruka ducked under an overhead swing, then leaped into the air, slicing at the Grim Reaper's chest as she did so, before falling back down and slamming Divine Rose into the Grim Reaper's head.

Before Haruka could continue her attack, the Grim Reaper began to spin its scythe above itself, creating a damaging tornado of blue flames around itself that sucked Haruka in and did multiple hits worth of damage before throwing her back towards the raid party.

"Okay, not nice," Haruka growled, landing on her feet and rushing back in as Maylin froze the Grim Reaper with another Blizzaga spell. When she was close enough, Haruka twirled Divine Rose above her before slamming it into the ground, creating an upheaval of earth around her that forced the Grim Reaper back.

"My turn!" Nick shouted, leapfrogging over Haruka and slashing downwards, then horizontally, each swing sending a wave of spiky rocks for the Grim Reaper. Finally, Nick swung Starlight in a fierce uppercut, causing a ring of sharp stalactites to erupt under the Grim Reaper, then explode outwards, causing quite a bit of damage.

Siune raised her staff and chanted her healing spell, surrounding Haruka with an aura of emerald light that fully healed her battle damage.

"Thanks, Siune," Haruka stated.

"Keep him there, you guys!" Marie exclaimed. "I need time to charge here!"

"All over it!" Maylin responded, countering an overhead slash from the Grim Reaper with a Thunder spell to the face, causing it to move slowly. "There's your cue, Marie!"

Marie raised Rainfell, surrounding it with an aura of darkness, before slashing it five times in a star shape, each swing causing a blade of dark energy to slash at the Grim Reaper's body. Once this was done, Marie jumped towards the Grim Reaper and slashed three more times in a triangle formation.

" _Nightfall!"_ Marie chanted, taking a few steps back before lunging forward like a bullet, stabbing the darkness-infused Rainfell straight through the chest of the Grim Reaper and coming out on the other side.

"Did that do it?" Marie asked.

She got her answer when the Grim Reaper suddenly grew three times larger and split into three large skulls, like the ones orbiting it.

"What the _hell_?!" Nick shouted as the three giant skulls began to stomp around the boss arena, causing large blue shockwaves with every impact. The raid party scrambled to find a safe spot from the assault, even though some players did take significant damage from the shockwaves.

When the Grim Reaper reformed, it began to swing its scythe wildly, launching blue fireballs from the blade towards the other players.

"Okay, I've had enough of this!" Maylin shouted. "Nick, let's waste him!"

"Waste him we shall," Nick quipped as Maylin threw herself into his embrace so they could unite into Wisdom Form and start peppering the Grim Reaper with rapid-fire spells and keep its fire away from the raid party.

"Now say goodbye, freak show!" Wisdom Form Nick exclaimed, raising Counterpoint and Starlight for the finisher.

" _O power that lies at the root of all creation..."_ Wisdom Form Nick chanted, five large energy orbs, one pink, one blue, one red, one green, and one silver, appearing around him, each one embedded with the elemental symbol of the Guardian it represented.

" _O memory inscribed in ages past..."_ Wisdom Form Nick proclaimed, the orbs flying over to the Grim Reaper and spiraling around it. _"Hear my call and arise before me!"_

The Grim Reaper broke out of its freeze and flew towards Nick, only for Yuuki to catch it on the back with a Sharp Nail, then quickly jump away.

" _ANCIENT CATASTROPHE!"_ Wisdom Form Nick shouted, and the five energy orbs joined into one giant ball of elemental chaos that surrounded the Grim Reaper and exploded with all the force of a supernova, finally dealing the finishing blow and causing the Grim Reaper to collapse into a pile of body parts before fading away.

" _Holy_..." Nori gasped.

"I take it you guys are impressed?" Yuuki giggled.

"I... don't think we're done yet," Haruka stated, pointing towards the still-fading corpse of the Grim Reaper, where Luxord raised his hand to retrieve the heart from the Grim Reaper's remains.

"Bravo, Nick," Luxord stated before vanishing again.

"Sorry if it's not the right time, but who was _that_ creep?" Yuuki asked. "Is he like the water boy Maylin annihilated last time you were here?"

"Yep, he's part of the Organization, too," Maylin admitted.

"Organization XIII is actually after people's hearts," Nick explained. "They release Heartless into many different worlds, and then we defeat those Heartless and they get the hearts for whatever their master plan is. We're never gonna stop them at this rate..."

"So, what's the plan?" Yuuki asked.

"We've gotta find their stronghold and take them down for good," Nick stated.

"Among the many _other_ problems we're also dealing with at the moment..." Haruka sighed.

"Hey, don't worry about a thing," Yuuki giggled. "You're already super-strong, so I know you'll take 'em out in no time!"

Nick looked up and saw that a small sphere had formed just above him, a silver glass sphere imprinted with what appeared to be Yuuki's sword.

"And there's our Proof," Nick quipped.

"Um, what's that glass ball thing for?" Yuuki asked.

"Just part of our Mark of Mastery Exam," Haruka answered. "Hopefully when it's all done, we'll be Keyblade Masters."

"I guess that means you've gotta get going?" Yuuki quipped as the other gateway to the teleport gate opened up for the party.

"Sadly, yes," Marie replied. "Our work is never done, honestly."

"And besides, we wouldn't want to keep you guys from your own adventures," Nick stated. "After all, you've got a whole new floor to explore now, right?"

"Comin' through!" a rather burly Gnome shouted, trying to catch up with the raid party and shoving Nick aside in the process, making him drop Starlight.

"Hey, watch it, asshole!" Nick growled.

Yuuki walked over to pick up Starlight, gazing in honest awe at the keyblade. "Wow, this thing is pretty slick, huh?" Yuuki giggled.

"Um, Yuuki? Why isn't it auto-zapping back to Nick?" Maylin wondered.

"Is it supposed to?" Yuuki wondered, doing a couple swings with Starlight in her right hand and her sword in her left hand.

"Yeah, keyblades are kinda picky about their owners," Haruka stated. "Usually, if someone without the ability to wield a keyblade takes it from a wielder, it'll teleport back to them almost instantly."

"Huh," Yuuki quipped as she handed Starlight back to Nick. "Maybe that means I have the potential to become a keyblade wielder myself someday. That'd be nice, honestly. I'd get to make _another_ mark on the world before I finally kick it..."

"You'll beat this," Nick proclaimed. "I know it. Medicine's come a long way since my time. And remember, you're the Absolute Sword. There's _nothing_ that can beat you, right?"

Yuuki blushed slightly before composing herself and nodding in assent. "You've definitely got a point there," Yuuki proclaimed, leaning over to kiss Nick on the cheek before dashing off to rejoin the Sleeping Knights.

"I'm noticing that this is becoming a pattern," Maylin teased.

"Hey, lay off, Maylin, I'm just saying what's on my mind!" Nick stuttered.

"Yeah, they're the ones that choose to be affectionate, Maylin," Haruka quipped, before understanding slowly dawned on her, and she gave Maylin a rather teasing glance. "Why, my dear Maylin, you're not _jealous_ , are you?"

"J-j-j-JEALOUS?!" Maylin shrieked.

"Don't lie to me, doof, I saw your look," Haruka continued, knowing she was getting a rise out of Maylin and absolutely loving it.

"W-w-well, what would _you_ do if you thought someone was making the moves on your boyfriend?!" Maylin shot back. "Even if I know Yuuki would never do something like that, it's just... ugh, _bad_ Maylin, _stop being so jealous!_ "

Maylin lightly slapped her own face twice before walking up to Nick and kissing him passionately, catching Nick off guard.

"Now I want to know what Cornelia would say to that," Haruka laughed.

"You will say _NOTHING_ to her," Maylin proclaimed.

"Um, Maylin, why are you getting so worked up?" Nick wondered. "Cornelia already knows, remember? She's the one who pushed you into telling me your feelings."

"I just..." Maylin sighed. "I've never had a boyfriend before you, Nick, so I'm still getting used to the fact that you've got _another_ girlfriend waiting for you back home, and... ack, it's all so confusing!"

Nick just smiled before leaning over to give Maylin a kiss of his own.

"Let's not sweat the small stuff, then, okay?" Nick answered. "I love you, Maylin."

Maylin blushed before hugging Nick tightly. "I love you, too, Nick."

Marie, meanwhile, was just watching all of this go down, amused by her friends' antics.

 _We really are the best friends ever, aren't we?_ Marie thought as Haruka activated her wrist device.

Strelitzia watched from the shadows as the quartet returned to the Gummi Ship. She was happy that Nick's memories of the old days were returning bit by bit.

As Strelitzia re-opened her Book of Prophecies, she smiled brightly. After everything she had suffered through, she could finally afford to be optimistic. Maybe there was hope for the future after all.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Starlight  
** _Strength:_ **10  
** _Magic:_ **10  
** _Ability:_ **Air Combo Boost  
** _Description:_ A keyblade representing the memories of a time long, long ago. A perfectly balanced weapon in both strength and magic that increases the damage of the finishing move in the air relative to the number of hits in the combo.

* * *

On the next episode:

Maylin: Um, I've got a question here. Why are we going back to the Watchpoint if there's no one left there?

Haruka: Yeah, she's got a point. Mei left to find her fellow Overwatch agents, and... everyone else is...

Marie: I think I can sense a great darkness coming from there, you guys. It's... very familiar.

Nick: Wait, what the hell are _you_ doing here?! There's nothing for you here!

Future Lily: Oh, is that right? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I've still got business to take care of here.

Unknown: I don't think so.

Future Lily: Hold on, who are _you?!_ And... why do you feel so familiar?

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "A Chilly Reception"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	17. A Chilly Reception

"Three down, and... how many to go?" Maylin wondered as Nick placed the Proof of Absolution next to the other two Proofs they'd earned.

"I'm guessing seven," Nick replied. "Not sure why _that's_ my guess, though. Just a feeling I had."

"All right, so where are we off to next?" Marie asked.

Haruka glanced down at the world map, looking for the closest of the worlds they had yet to return to.

"I think Watchpoint: Antarctica is next on the list," Haruka stated.

"Um... okay, I have a question, then," Maylin quipped. "Is there _anything_ left for us to do down there? After all, Mei left to go rejoin Overwatch, and her comrades are dead, remember?"

Haruka glanced down at the structure that represented Watchpoint: Antarctica, and saw two figures flying around the base.

"Probably that," Haruka stated.

Marie suddenly stiffened in her spot, and Nick usually knew that meant trouble was afoot. Because of her dark powers, Marie could sense flares of other dark power, which was extremely helpful to the group when tracking down their enemies.

"What'd you sense, Marie?" Nick asked.

"Trouble," Marie responded. "I'm sensing _two_ separate auras down there, and they're full of darkness."

"Then that's our cue to start stomping!" Maylin proclaimed. "Haruka, take us down there!"

"Roger," Haruka replied, piloting the Gummi Ship towards Watchpoint: Antarctica. "Prepare for landing!"

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Eden Riegel_ as **Marie Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** The group returns to Watchpoint: Antarctica, despite the base being completely abandoned since Mei set off to rejoin Overwatch. They'll still have to contend with an old foe, and a surprise visit from Future Lily, still seeking something in particular. However, something still seems off. Who is this new arrival in the Organization robe, and why do they seem familiar?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **For Today's World:** Today, we're returning to the world of _Overwatch_ from Blizzard Entertainment. Not much else to say that won't spoil the events of today, so let's get into it!

 **EDIT 11/26/18:** Added a scene I forgot to near the end. This is why you don't hurry writers...

* * *

Episode 17: A Chilly Reception

Nick glanced around the derelict and sterile hallways of Watchpoint Antarctica as the four keyblade wielders slowly moved through its hallways. It didn't seem like there was anything here anymore.

"This is creepy," Maylin quipped.

"You're telling me?" Marie shuddered. "I'm getting bad memories of that stupid haunted house..."

Nick immediately slid over to give his sister a hug, knowing what she was talking about. After all, he'd thought about that exact thing the first time he'd been here.

"Thanks, big bro," Marie giggled, kissing Nick on the cheek.

"Okay, so... any sign of those two figures we saw on the way down?" Maylin asked.

Marie called on her dark powers to do a mental sweep of the base. "Nothing really at the moment," Marie answered. "But I'm sure that they'll be popping up eventually."

As they passed the cryo-chambers where Mei's former comrades still rested, Nick glanced at the coffee mugs Mei had left for them before setting out, then threw his hand up in a salute to the fallen before dashing off to rejoin his friends.

When the group had reached the main control room, they noticed another member of the Mushroom XIII walking around, gazing at all the futuristic technology surrounding it.

"I think it approves," Marie giggled.

No. 2 noticed them, excitedly dashing towards them and stopping just in front of them. Before Nick could get a read on it, No. 2 raised its right hand and tossed a light-green projectile towards him. Nick swiftly summoned Ecopoint and raised it to defend himself, the projectile bouncing off of Ecopoint's blade and returning to No. 2, who waved its right hand in a 'batting' motion.

"Translation, Nick?" Haruka asked.

"I think we need to keep deflecting the projectiles it throws at us," Nick answered.

"All right, then let's get to it!" Maylin laughed.

The four keyblade wielders moved to form a square formation around No. 2 as it started to float into the air and toss projectiles that were easily blocked.

However, the real twist of this challenge came right then and there. As the projectile came close, No. 2 swung its arms and batted the projectile back towards Nick, which now traveled faster.

"Oh, so that's your game, huh?" Nick quipped, swinging Ecopoint to deflect the blast.

"Guess blocking's not gonna do any good in short order," Haruka stated as she swung Divine Rose to counter the blast.

Pretty soon, it had turned into a mean game of energy tennis with how fast the projectile was moving back and forth between the players.

Naturally, Mei was surprised to enter the control room and see the strange sight, unsure if she should bring out her weapon.

Eventually, the speed of the bouncing projectile increased far too much for the group to handle, and one errant swing from Maylin sent the blast rocketing into Nick, where it exploded and caused Nick to go flying backwards, straight into the northern wall.

"Oh, jeez! Nick, you okay?!" Maylin exclaimed as she rushed over to check on Nick.

"Um... did we do good enough?" Haruka asked.

No. 2 nodded, tossing fireworks into the air and relinquishing a group of Tranquility materials before vanishing in a flash of light.

"Owwww..." Nick groaned, slowly picking himself up. "That wasn't something I was expecting to happen..."

"Are you all right, Nick?" Maylin wondered.

"Yeah. Nothing really busted but my pride," Nick admitted.

"Um... can I ask what that was about?" Mei asked, causing all four pairs of eyes to snap to her.

"Mei, how'd you get back here?" Haruka wondered. "I thought you were going to find Overwatch?"

"I did, but Winston wanted to see if there was still any research data we could salvage from this place, so he and Tracer brought me back here," Mei explained. "I never expected to find you here again..."

"Well, we were following something, to be honest," Maylin answered. "Let's just say we've been busy since the last time we've been in the neighborhood."

As Mei walked up to the one of the still-active control consoles, a loud explosion shook the area, putting all four keyblade wielders on edge instantly.

"What the heck was _that_?!" Marie exclaimed.

"Sounds like we found our trouble," Nick proclaimed.

"That came from outside! Tracer and Winston might be in danger!" Mei exclaimed as the group followed her to the outskirts of the base.

When they reached the helipad where Mei had been dropped off, Mei was horrified to see the transport helicopter completely destroyed and in shambles, reduced to nothing but a flaming mess of metal and circuitry.

"Over here, love!" Tracer exclaimed, catching Mei's attention. Tracer and Winston were standing off to the left of the destroyed helicopter, both of them completely unharmed. "We're all right!"

"Something just _smashed_ right into the helicopter," Winston explained. "We're lucky that the radar spotted it in time, or we wouldn't be here right now."

"Do you know what attacked you?" Mei asked.

The answer to that question floated down from the arctic sky in the form of a very familiar Unversed.

"Wait, how the hell are _you_ still alive?!" Maylin exclaimed, summoning Spellbinder to her hands at the sight of the Iron Imprisoner. "Didn't Peashy _punch a hole through your gullet?!_ "

Indeed, the Iron Imprisoner had returned, but this time around, the creature's chains had vanished and its arms were free, allowing it to wield a large, spiked, red and black hammer.

"I should have known it was too easy," Nick sighed, summoning Magic Rifle to his hands, knowing its inherent ability would do wonders against this thing's weakness to fire.

"You guys stay back!" Haruka exclaimed. "We'll handle this freak."

The Iron Imprisoner shook its fists in challenge before gripping the hammer it wielded and swinging it around in wide, sweeping attacks. Nick raised Magic Rifle to parry each swing as it came, and when the swinging stopped, Maylin leaped into the air and unleashed a Firaga spell to the face that left the Iron Imprisoner stunned.

Nick decided to capitalize on this, and rushed for the Iron Imprisoner, landing three slashes on its gibbet before taking a step back, then leaping forward and slamming Magic Rifle into the ground, causing five orbs of light to spiral around him rapidly and cause significant damage to the Iron Imprisoner.

Tracer decided to make herself useful, dashing around and firing her Pulse Pistols at the Iron Imprisoner's gibbet.

With the Iron Imprisoner's attention focused on her, Tracer waved to Winston, who used his Jump Pack to fly through the air and come crashing down, his fists bashing the Iron Imprisoner's gibbet and knocking it forward so that Marie could blast it with a Dark Firaga, once again stunning it.

Mei decided to help out as well, firing a stream of frost from her Endothermic Blaster until the Iron Imprisoner was frozen in its place. However, before anyone could follow up on this opportunity, the Iron Imprisoner unleashed a tornado of fire around itself, melting the ice that was trapping it before bouncing around the area, forcing the heroes to stay on the move.

"Stand still, why don't ya?!" Tracer shouted, using her Blink ability to teleport a short distance every couple seconds to stay ahead of the Iron Imprisoner.

The instant it stopped spinning, the four keyblade wielders decided to go on the offensive.

" _Style Change: Spellweaver!"_ Maylin proclaimed, her body and Stormfall glowing a radiant blue and floating slightly off the ground, her eyes twinkling and Stormfall telekinetically floating by her right hand.

" _Style Change: Wingblade!"_ Haruka shouted, her body and Divewing glowing a brilliant pink and floating slightly off the ground, and six pink energy swords floating behind her and invoking angel wings.

" _Style Change: Fever Pitch!"_ Nick shouted, his body and Magic Rifle glowing a bright emerald and vibrating slightly to invoke incredible speed. Bright green wings were also sprouting from his shoes.

" _Style Change: Dark Impulse!"_ Marie shouted, her body and Darkgnaw glowing with darkness and her free hand transformed into a wicked-looking dark claw.

"I think it's time for a beatdown!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Nick proclaimed.

Haruka was the first to attack, swinging Divewing in wide, sweeping strikes and stabs. As she did so, the six energy swords she'd gained also began to attack in seemingly random patterns with each strike Haruka made, as if they had a will of their own.

When her combo was finished, Haruka ended off by stabbing four of her blades forward at once, then leaping into the air and performing a powerful downward slash with the last two energy blades and Divewing, causing a burst of wind to erupt from the point of impact and drive the Iron Imprisoner back.

Maylin tagged in almost immediately, starting by swinging Stormfall low and letting it spin around, then following up with a flying uppercut with the spiraling keyblade, then thrusting it forward and creating a prism-shaped barrier in front of her that spun around to damage the Iron Imprisoner. Maylin finished her combo by aiming Stormfall for the Iron Imprisoner's chest and firing off a large sphere of light that did multiple hits worth of damage.

Marie decided to go next, charging towards the Iron Imprisoner and attacking with a wicked flurry of darkness-enhanced keyblade strikes, mostly quick slashes and overhead spins, ending by thrusting her free hand forward and projecting a larger version of her dark claw forward to attack the Iron Imprisoner.

The Iron Imprisoner swung its hammer for Marie, but she quickly created a pool of darkness underneath her and dove down into it, coming back up right under the Iron Imprisoner and projecting an even larger dark claw straight upwards, doing visible damage to the Iron Imprisoner.

"I think we've got it on the ropes!" Marie shouted.

"Then allow me to finish it off," Nick quipped, rushing towards the Iron Imprisoner with lightning speed and attacking it with four lightning-fast swings before swiping Magic Rifle straight upwards, causing five beams of light to shoot out in a fan-shaped formation from underneath him and drive the Iron Imprisoner to its knees.

However, the Iron Imprisoner quickly recovered from the damage and raised its hammer, creating fiery cages around Tracer, Mei, and Winston.

"Oh, that's not fair!" Maylin growled, retrieving a super spell coin from her pocket. "And cheaters need to be punished. _Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! FIRAJA!"_

Eight gigantic spheres of fire, resembling meteors, appeared and began to orbit around the Iron Imprisoner. After a few seconds, the meteors all converged on the Iron Imprisoner at once, exploding into a geyser of flames that shot straight to the sky. When the flames dissipated, the Iron Imprisoner fell to the ground, relinquishing its grip on its hammer as it evaporated into dark particles that quickly dissipated.

"Yeah, go suck on that and come back when you're better!" Maylin taunted as the group let their Style Changes fade out and the fiery cages vanished as well.

"Why do I have a feeling we're gonna be seeing that thing again?" Haruka admitted. "After all, it came back once."

"Sounds like it's gonna be one of the more stubborn ones," Marie stated.

"Hey, it looks like it dropped a summon charm," Nick quipped, walking up to the spot where the Iron Imprisoner had vanished and retrieving the Summon Charm in question, its jewel imprinted with a cross-shaped tonfa and, of all things, a squirrel tail.

 _Hmmm... I wonder..._ Nick thought.

"That was quite the battle, love," Tracer quipped, walking up and studying the four keyblade wielders. "I'm surprised you're not with Overwatch."

"As I'm sure Mei has told you, we're not exactly from 'around here', shall we say," Maylin stated.

"Speaking of 'around here', how are you guys gonna get back to Overwatch?" Haruka asked. "After all, that nasty Unversed destroyed your helicopter."

"Don't worry," Winston responded, having just gotten off of his communicator with another member of Overwatch. "They're sending another one to pick us up, but it'll be a while before it gets here."

"Why don't we head back inside and see if we can salvage any more data while we wait?" Nick stated. "Should pass the time in no... well, time."

As the entire group returned to the control room, the familiar hooded form of Future Lily watched from the nearby shadows.

"Well, well, they're still mucking around, are they?" Future Lily proclaimed. "I guess I'll have to teach them another lesson."

As engrossed in her own planning as she was, Future Lily didn't even realize that another black-hooded figure was watching her from extremely far away, at the peak of a mountaintop. Clutching a keyblade in his hands, he realized that she would most likely be on the move soon.

* * *

Nick made sure that Mei didn't even glance at the cryo-chambers when they made their way to the control room. He was pretty sure the topic was still a sensitive one for her.

Marie had wanted to ask what had happened here, as she hadn't returned until the trip to Ylisstol and the Mila Tree, but decided to stay silent. She, too, could tell that the topic still hurt for Mei, and she clearly didn't want to push the issue.

"I am quite impressed that the computers are still active here," Winston admitted.

"I guess there really haven't been any more storms since I left to find you," Mei stated.

As Winston marched over to activate the computer terminals, a pack of Unversed flashed into existence right in front of him.

One Unversed type was a large, muscular, ape-like creature with a predominantly brown body, a dark grey belly and chest, massive forearms that dragged on the ground, black hands with green bracelets, small legs and a spherical head. Its face was black with two horns popping out from the sides of its head, what appeared to be a yellow banana peel on its head, sharp red eyes set in a happy expression and the Unversed logo printed on its belly.

The other Unversed type was a large and mostly spherical bomb-like creature with a pitch-black upper body, a navy blue lower body with red stripes, a red stripe on its waist dividing the two parts, a spherical head with a wick-like antenna popping out, a red outline shaped like an eight-pointed star surrounding its head, short and stubby arms topped by silver rods, and a golden valve on its back. Its sharp red eyes were set in an angry expression, and the Unversed emblem was printed on its chest.

"Oh, lovely," Winston growled. "I've had enough of you things mocking me!"

As Winston prepared to attack, Nick raised his hand to stop him. "We can take care of these freak-o's," Nick stated. "I wanna try out my new summon, anyway."

"You... can summon other warriors from those charms?" Winston wondered.

"Just watch and be amazed, Winston!" Maylin giggled.

Nick summoned Ecopoint as he held up the Cross Charm, the charm itself glowing with a bright silver light. Maylin, Haruka, and Marie were surrounded by that same light before vanishing completely.

"Hey, where'd your friends go?" Tracer asked.

 **("Butterfly Sky" by Tomomi Isomura plays)**

Nick let the Cross Charm float out of his hands and into the air just in front of him. As it began to spin around, Nick waved his keyblade around the charm, drawing a glyph around it. When the glyph began to shine, Nick drew his keyblade back, a smaller glyph surrounding its blade, then stabbed it forward through the larger glyph and the charm, causing a girl about his age to come flying out of the charm, going into a roll before hopping to her feet.

Now that she had stood up, Nick cast a glance at his newest summon ally. She was a young lady about his age with short brown hair, a big, curly brown squirrel tail, hazel eyes, and small squirrel ears. She was wearing an orange fighter top uniform that left little to the imagination, and she was wielding two cross-shaped steel tonfas strapped to her hands.

"Well, looks like we've got company," Makoto Nanaya proclaimed before glancing back at Nick and winking to him. "Wanna trash 'em?"

"Oh, you know it," Nick quipped, readying Ecopoint for a fight.

One of the Wild Bruisers began to gallop towards them, but Makoto was already in front of it, firing off rapid punches to the Wild Bruiser's chest, her strength enhanced by her tonfas.

After a couple punches, Makoto lashed out with an uppercut that rocked the Wild Bruiser's head back and sent it into the air. Nick followed up by leaping off of Makoto's shoulders and lashing out with a flying overhead strike that destroyed the Wild Bruiser.

"All right, who else wants some?!" Makoto challenged. One of the Tank Topplers bounced towards Makoto, only for her to whack it with a Corona Upper, an energy-enhanced uppercut.

However, the Tank Toppler seemed to inflate upon impact, not taking any damage from the hit.

"Um, is that supposed to happen?" Makoto asked.

As Nick rushed over to assist, he saw the gold valve on the Tank Toppler's back, and out of curiosity, gave it a few whacks from Ecopoint. Nick was pleased to see the Tank Toppler deflate rapidly with each strike.

Makoto didn't need to be told, sliding around to the back of the Tank Toppler and attacking the valve so it couldn't inflate again, eventually finishing it off with her Big Bang Smash, a giant energy fist attack.

"Next!" Makoto laughed just as another Wild Bruiser slammed its fists down, creating a wave of spikes that traveled across the ground. Makoto deftly dodged before attacking with Particle Flare, a double uppercut followed by a massive forward punch that sent the Wild Bruiser flying into the wall of the base, disintegrating on contact.

Nick decided to make himself useful, taking care of another Tank Toppler while Makoto showed off her skills.

Once the Unversed were eliminated, however, a rather large Heartless appeared, appearing to be another brother of the Chill Ripper and its kind. This one had faded red and white armor, white spikes on its legs with steel blue highlights, a helmet with a twisted black antenna, and two large, orange blades in place of its hands.

"Oh, lordy, not another one of you things," Nick growled.

"I can take this one," Makoto quipped, readying herself. "I've been saving my ultimate move just for the big ones like this."

"Well, then let's see it," Nick stated.

As the Stalwart Blade marched forward, Makoto took a step back, her right tonfa glowing with an orange light.

" _Rise, power of the stars!"_ Makoto shouted, lunging forward with a thrusting punch that stunned the Stalwart Blade, before going into a lightning-quick barrage of punches that Nick knew would makes the likes of Kenshiro and Jotaro proud.

 _She's even making the Kenshiro noise,_ Nick thought. _She really paid attention to detail._

" _With my mighty fist, I'll send ya to the stars!"_ Makoto shouted, moving in for the finishing blow. _"Planet... CRUSHER!"_

Before the Stalwart Blade could recover, Makoto launched one last uppercut that literally sent the Stalwart Blade flying into the sky, where it eventually impacted with what seemed to be an astral projection of the moon. On impact, an imprint of a fist appeared in the moon before it shattered into pieces, destroying the Stalwart Blade.

Makoto landed from her final strike, flashing a peace sign with her tonfas. "You never stood a chance," Makoto proclaimed, just then noticing Nick looking a little confused, as if he was trying to think of something to say. "What's up?"

"Um... I like your tail," Nick stated. "It looks good on you."

"Aw, you," Makoto giggled.

"I was trying to think of the right thing to say," Nick admitted. "I figured, if you were anything like the Faunus were on Remnant, you've probably endured your fair share of discrimination just because of your animal features on your world, and... sometime I just have this bad habit of letting my mouth talk before my brain can get in gear, and I didn't want to say anything that'd offend you..."

"Hey, don't worry," Makoto stated, patting Nick on the shoulder. "I can tell you're one of the good ones."

Makoto winked at Nick once more before vanishing in a flash of light and returning to the Cross Charm.

"You are all so talented," Winston admitted when Maylin, Haruka, and Marie had returned. "I can see why Mei speaks so highly of your skills."

"That's kinda what we do, Winston," Haruka stated. "We're here to help any world that needs us."

Winston walked up to the base's main console and plugged a USB device into it, and watched as data flowed across the console's main screen.

"So, what are you guys searching for?" Maylin asked.

"Any available data that may still be uncorrupted," Mei answered. "These computers were running for _nine years_ while I was in cryo-sleep. I'm hoping there's at least something left that we can salvage that can be of use to Overwatch."

As Mei sifted through the data that was appearing on the screen, Marie suddenly stiffened in her spot.

"Trouble?" Nick asked.

"More than you know, big bro," Marie stated. "Let's get out of here for the moment. I don't think we want to drag them into this."

So, the keyblade wielders followed Marie back to the outside of the base, specifically to the transmission tower they'd fixed last time they were here.

"Does _she_ look familiar to you?" Marie quipped, pointing towards the hill to the left of the tower.

Future Lily was standing there, No Name already in her hands and a wicked grin highlighting her face.

"You got a reason for being here, you pathetic excuse of a tyrant?!" Maylin growled, summoning Counterpoint.

"Devolved into hurling petty insults," Future Lily sighed. "I really thought you were more mature than this."

"Well, when you're a super-villain with an honestly godawful excuse for _being_ a villain, you'll have to forgive me for thinking not much is gonna get through to you!" Maylin shot back.

"I've told you," Future Lily responded, raising No Name into her battle stance. "I will _not_ allow history to repeat itself, even if it's a different dimension. Now how about we just skip the formalities and 'throw down', as you would say?"

"Exactly what I was thinking," Nick proclaimed, switching his keyblade to Starlight.

Future Lily made the first move, leaping through the air and swinging No Name to the left, spraying a deluge of dark electricity across the ground. The group split in different directions to avoid the attack.

"Maybe get some new tricks, lady!" Maylin shouted, blasting Future Lily back with a Blizzaga spell to her chest.

Future Lily quickly recovered before hopping back into the air and riding on a stream of ice and rock that seemed to be coming from the nearby mountain.

"I just had to open my mouth, didn't I?" Maylin sighed.

While on her makeshift surf, Future Lily began to swing No Name to fire chunks of dark ice towards her targets, twisting around the area as she did so to make it hard for the keyblade wielders to hit her.

After about a minute of this, Future Lily hopped off of the stream and charged straight for Nick, who was unable to get Starlight up in time and was knocked backwards by a wave of darkness, slammed straight into the outer wall of the base.

Just as Nick attempted to peel himself out of the wall, Future Lily shoved No Name into his chest, a great burst of darkness shattering the wall around him into shards of metal and stone and sending him back into the base.

"Oh, no you don't!" Marie shouted. _"Style Change: Dark Impulse!"_

Future Lily turned her attention to Marie just in time for the dark warrior to go on the offensive, attacking with a wicked flurry of darkness-enhanced keyblade strikes, mostly quick slashes and overhead spins, ending by thrusting her free hand forward and projecting a larger version of her dark claw forward to attack Future Lily.

"You won't be so lucky this time," Future Lily proclaimed, actually reaching out with her free hand to grab Marie's arm in mid-strike and hurl her into the base, causing her body to bounce off wall edges and other assorted shelves.

Nick rushed in to slash Starlight across Future Lily's back, the rage in his eyes easily noticeable.

"You're gonna _pay_ for that!" Nick exclaimed, the blade of Starlight glowing orange as he prepared for an Ars Arcanum attack...

...only for Future Lily to easily block the strike.

"Why don't you join her?" Future Lily cackled, snatching the blade of Starlight and heaving it forward with Nick still gripping it, causing him to get flung back into the base on the same path that Marie had gone on.

Nick barely had time to get up before Future Lily was on him again, slicing wickedly through the air with No Name and forcing Nick to stay on the defensive.

"You're not doing any better than last time," Future Lily laughed. "Why don't you step it up?!"

"Oh, you want me to step it up?" Nick challenged, using Starlight to shove Future Lily backwards as his body began to glow.

"If that's what you want, then you asked for it! _Style Change: Rhythm Mixer!_ " Nick shouted, an electric blue aura exploding to life around him. Two pulsing energy cubes appeared and began to float around his body.

Future Lily swung No Name diagonally downwards, then straight upwards, the second swing creating a large crescent blade that flew towards Nick, only for Nick to counter by spinning Starlight like a windmill to block the strike. While Nick spun his keyblade, the sound of a reverb could be heard.

With Future Lily off balance, Nick went on the offensive, starting his attack by stabbing forward four times, each strike making a drum beat sound on impact, then following up with two wide, diagonal spinning attacks, and then a forward spiral attack. Each spin played the sound of a record needle scratch as Nick attacked.

For the combo finisher, Nick swung Starlight upwards, creating four large energy cubes similar to the two that were orbiting his body, and then slamming Starlight down, causing the cubes to converge on Future Lily and explode, doing some serious damage.

"You're not going any further! Now sink into darkness!" Future Lily shouted, only to stumble by way of a Dark Firaga to the back, courtesy of Marie.

"I'm not... done yet, you bitch," Marie growled. "Take her down a peg, big bro!"

"With pleasure," Nick proclaimed, channeling his power and creating three circles of light around Future Lily before diving into the space between them.

Before Future Lily could get her bearings, Nick began to hop between the three circles, each one playing a tune to the rhythm of Nick's jumps and damaging Future Lily with short-range bursts of light.

When the tune reached its conclusion, the rings converged on each other and Nick leaped out of the center, creating a multi-colored shockwave that threw Future Lily backwards on impact.

"Okay, _now_ you're just making me _mad_ ," Future Lily growled, a massive aura of darkness exploding to life around her and actually causing the hallway to cave in around her, the walls exploding outwards and the ceiling collapsing in the wake of Future Lily's darkness.

"Knock it off! You're going to destroy the whole base, you tosser!" Tracer shouted, having just arrived on the scene with Mei close behind.

"Does it look like I _care_?!" Future Lily screamed, her aura pulsing wildly as she attacked, dashing to right between Tracer and Mei and slamming No Name into the steel floor, unleashing a shockwave of darkness that threw them both away from each other.

"I told you, I'll destroy _everything_ if I must!" Future Lily shouted. "That _includes_ your stupid base!"

Haruka leaped through the hole that had made and slammed Divine Rose into Future Lily's shoulder, driving her to her knees.

"Why don't you _sit down_ for once in your life?" Haruka taunted.

"Are you _seriously_ ordering _me_ around?!" Future Lily cackled. "Don't make me _laugh_!"

Haruka only saw Future Lily disappear, and she raised her keyblade, only for a sharp pain to lance through her body.

Maylin skidded to a stop just in time to see Future Lily slamming No Name into Haruka's neck, instantly knocking her unconscious.

"You... YOU BITCH!" Maylin shrieked, readying a super spell coin in her hands.

Future Lily dived away from another Dark Firaga shot from Marie's hands before slashing No Name at the back of Maylin's neck as well, instantly knocking the young mage out.

Marie screamed rather loudly before unleashing another Dark Firaga, much larger than the last one, only for Future Lily to swing No Name like a baseball bat and ricochet the blast back at Marie, driving her into the wall and knocking her right into unconsciousness the instant she hit the wall.

"Well, well, it looks like your friends are out of commission," Future Lily laughed. "Have no fear, though, my dear alternate father. You'll be joining them very soon."

Nick balanced himself on Starlight, knowing he couldn't take another hit like that either.

"I believe I'm done playing games," Future Lily stated, No Name's blade surrounded by dark energy. "It's been nice knowing you!"

Nick attempted to raise Starlight to defend himself, only to lose his balance and fall to his knees.

Future Lily swung No Name, attempting to behead Nick, only for her keyblade to clash with another keyblade, swung by a figure in a black robe like that of the Organization.

"What...? Who are _you_?" Future Lily proclaimed.

 _Oh, great, this is_ _ **just**_ _what I frickin' need right now,_ Nick thought. _Another Organization nut. Wait, wait, wait, why does this guy have a_ _ **keyblade**_ _?!_

The hooded figure just stood there, clutching its keyblade tightly. The main structure of this keyblade was a chokutō with a black handle, gold pommel, and gold rain guard, the blade's edge faces the keyblade's teeth. The guard was split into an upper and lower half, both halves being gold and lined with spikes, but the spikes were more prominent on the upper half. The teeth of the keyblade were comprised of a gold semi-circle with a turquoise center that was lined by long, gold spikes, the teeth connecting to the main blade by a spiked spade symbol. The keychain token was shaped like a diamond lined by short spikes.

"Oh, so we've got another new challenger, huh?" Future Lily laughed, not impressed at all. "Do you _really_ expect me to be intimidated?"

The figure just stood there, twirling Aubade in its hands.

"Well?" Future Lily stated. "Nothing to say to me? No witty quips? _No more words to fail?!_ "

Nothing from the strange figure.

"All right, then, how about I just carve you up right here and now?" Future Lily cackled. "You wouldn't mind, _right_?"

But as Future Lily prepared to attack and eviscerate the figure right on the spot, the figure reached up with his free hand to pull his hood down, revealing a face about Nick's age of fifteen with short, slightly spiky black hair and blue eyes.

"Okay, you're a new one," Nick quipped, slowly picking himself up and preparing to attack Future Lily...

...only to see that she had stopped in her tracks, staring in utter shock at the figure.

"Um..." Nick stated.

"N-No..." Future Lily gasped, feeling quite unsure of herself for the first time in what felt like decades. "Y-you... you c-c- _can't_ be..."

The figure just stared at Future Lily, his expression serious and determined as if daring her to accept the truth.

"W-what are... what are..." Future Lily stuttered. In her sheer confusion, she let her keyblade vanish before taking a few steps forward, still unsure what exactly she was seeing.

The figure continued to stare at Future Lily, waiting for the question he knew was coming.

What she said next actually shocked Nick.

"W-what... what are you _doing_ here, Blake?"

The name clicked almost immediately to Nick. After all, Blake was the name of Lily's brother who had never been born thanks to the future Cornelia's death at the hands of Organization XIII, though the part of Blake's heart that had survived was resting within Lily's heart.

 _Wait, maybe this Blake is from THIS Lily's dimension,_ Nick thought. _But... I thought everyone else in her world was killed..._

"B-Blake... what is this?" Future Lily gasped.

"Isn't it obvious, Lily?" Blake replied, clutching Aubade tightly. "I came to stop you."

Future Lily tried to re-summon No Name, but found that she couldn't bear to do it. Not against her own brother.

"W-Why, Blake?" Future Lily asked. "You _know_ that I don't want that tragedy to repeat itself."

"But you're taking it out on a dimension that had _nothing_ to do with what happened to you," Blake countered. "How is that honoring the memory of your friends, your family, the people who gave their _lives_ for your world?"

"It could happen again, Blake, you know that!" Future Lily shouted. "Why do you think I was so scared before Xehanort gave me the power to _correct_ this mistake?!"

"You call this _correcting_ a mistake?" Blake sighed. "It seems to me like you're just indiscriminately destroying everything because you can't let your pain go."

"And just _how the hell_ am I supposed to let that pain go?!" Future Lily screamed. "Everyone's dead, Blake! Everyone I _ever knew and loved_ is _dead and gone_! If I still had my time-traveling powers, I'd use them to just go back to before any of this happened!"

"Don't you remember what you always said, Lily?" Blake answered. "We must never..."

"...'never stop moving forward'," Future Lily finished instinctively.

"See? You _do_ remember," Blake stated.

Future Lily took a few steps back, unable to comprehend what was happening, before letting out a loud, bellowing scream and summoning No Name, then swinging it hard enough to unleash a torrent of darkness for Blake.

Blake simply side-stepped to the right and let the dark torrent fly right by him.

When he looked up, Future Lily had vanished, using the attack to cover her escape.

"Honestly, Lily..." Blake sighed. "I thought you were better than this."

Turning back to Nick and his friends, Blake raised Aubade, its teeth shining with a golden glow. _"Healing Light,"_ Blake proclaimed, spheres of golden light surrounding the four keyblade wielders and healing them to full strength.

"Owwwwww..." Maylin groaned. "What the _hell_ just happened?!"

"I think... we just got our asses kicked," Haruka admitted, rubbing the spot on her neck where she'd been attacked.

"Not the best feeling in the world, let me tell you," Marie quipped, picking herself up quickly.

The instant Maylin saw the robe that Blake was wearing, she immediately went on the defensive. "All right, wise guy, who are _you_?!" Maylin challenged.

"Down, Maylin," Nick responded. "Blake just saved all of our asses."

"Wait, Nick, you know him?" Haruka wondered.

"He's Lily's brother," Nick explained. "This Blake in particular is from the other dimension, apparently."

"Hold on just a second, I thought everyone from that Lily's world died!" Maylin gasped. "Isn't that the whole reason she's doing this?!"

"I was on my dimension's Candracar training with the Oracle when it happened," Blake explained. "When I came back, everything was in ruins... and Lily was gone. I kept up my training just in case something else went wrong. And now... I find her seduced by the darkness, wanting nothing more than to destroy all of existence because she can't let go of her own pain..."

"Makes me infinitely glad _my_ Lily didn't turn out like that," Nick admitted. "My Lily's a real sweetheart."

"With her future father alive and well, I don't doubt that for a second," Blake stated, allowing a brief smile before raising Aubade and vanishing from sight.

With the battle finally over, Tracer and Mei walked over, accompanied by Winston, who was holding the drive containing all the data he'd managed to salvage.

"Is... everything all right?" Winston asked.

"Just... got some things to think about, Winston," Nick stated as the keyblade wielders regrouped. "You guys just get that data to Overwatch, okay? We wouldn't want to keep you."

Nick looked up, having felt a pulse of energy, before another Proof appeared in his hands, this one imprinted with the keyblades of both Blake and Future Lily.

"Wow, we got a proof for that?" Maylin quipped. "We kinda got wrecked, to be honest."

"Well, as long as it puts us one step closer, I'm not gonna complain," Haruka replied. "Let's get back to the Gummi Ship, you guys."

And so, they warped back to the Gummi Ship, much to Tracer's confusion.

Somewhere far away from the base, Strelitzia watched and observed, her Book of Prophecies open to a specific page. "I should have figured... it's getting closer and closer," Strelitzia stated. "It may not be much longer before _she_ awakens... if she does, they may be our only hope..."

Strelitzia closed her Book of Prophecies and teleported away, hoping she would never have to hear _that_ name again. Izanami-no-Mikoto was bad enough as it was, after all.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New summon acquired!_

 **Makoto Nanaya, the Beastkin Traveler  
** _Drive Gauge Points Needed:_ **4  
** _Purpose:_ Utilize various defense-piercing combos to get past tough and stubborn enemies. When prompted, press /\ to use one of Makoto's Distortion Drives.  
 _Limit Attack:_ **Asteroid Vision** , where Makoto creates two clones of herself and Nick to confuse opponents before attacking all on-screen enemies at once.  
 _Charge Gauge_ : For every Heartless or Nobody killed, the Charge Gauge fills 1/6th. For every Unversed killed, the Charge Gauge fills 1/3rd. The more filled the Charge Gauge is, the stronger Makoto's attacks get. A full Charge Gauge allows usage of Makoto's finishing move.  
 _Finishing Move:_ **Astral Finish: Planet Crusher** , where Makoto attacks the currently targeted opponent with a barrage of rapid-fire punches before uppercutting them to the moon, instantly defeating them, unless the target is a boss, in which case the attack does 1.5 bars of damage.

* * *

On the next episode:

Nick: It looks like we've got more trouble here.

Maylin: When do we _not_ have trouble, Nick?

Nick: Good point.

Haruka: It looks like the Wolkenritter are dealing with a lot of strange illusions all over the city.

Marie: And, to make matters worse, there's a giant _robot_ stomping around! Not Megazord or Godzilla size, but still pretty big!

Nick: Jeez, just when you think we're done getting bombshells dropped on us, too...

Marie: And worse, I can see another dark root wrapping around that robot! You think the Dark Mother's behind this one, too?

Maylin: That's all I need to hear! Let's go kick some ass!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "Turning the Pages"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	18. Turning the Pages

"Well, that's four," Nick quipped, setting the Proof of Connection next to the others on the console. "About six more to go, I think."

"I'm still surprised we got a Proof for that," Maylin quipped. "I mean, we kinda got wrecked."

"It's a good think Blake was there to save our keesters," Marie admitted. "I honestly didn't think he was still around, especially considering..."

"Yeah, but now I'm worried that _his_ Lily is gonna start throwing a temper tantrum and get even _worse_ than she already is," Haruka stated.

Nick thought for a couple seconds about something that had occurred during the confrontation. Future Lily had actually relented her attack when Blake had arrived, only attacking him once her emotions had overflowed.

"What's up, Nick?" Maylin asked.

"If we see her again, I'm gonna see if I can reason with her," Nick answered.

"Um, Nick, you saw what happened the last time, right?" Maylin quipped. "You tried to reason with her and she slapped us silly for it!"

"Corrupted by the darkness or not, she's still technically my daughter," Nick stated. "Remember, she actually hesitated when Blake showed his face."

Nick thought back to the story that Future Lily had told him. "I don't think she's been fully taken by the darkness yet, so there might be a chance we can get through to her."

"I hope you're right," Haruka stated. "When you think about it, it seems like she's just a scared girl who wants to get rid of her pain, even if she's going _way_ beyond disproportionate retribution to get her way."

Nick glanced at the item that rested near the Proofs on the control console. It was his Lily's necklace that she had loaned to him as a sort of good luck charm.

 _Hopefully this'll be over soon,_ Nick thought. _I have a feeling this isn't going to end very well for someone._

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Eden Riegel_ as **Marie Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** City Z is being assailed by a collection of strange illusions that has the Hero Association baffled. What could be causing these illusions? Is it a villain with mental powers? Could it be related to someone from Organization XIII? And how does the mysterious giant robot patrolling the city, the pilot searching for a "darling", fit in to this mess?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **For Today's World:** We're returning to the world of _One Punch Man_ for today's exploits. This chapter follows the events of chapter seven of this story, while still taking place after OPM season one but before season two.

* * *

Episode 18: Turning the Pages

The instant the glow of the teleporters faded, the group was suddenly assailed by a veritable mob of panicked citizens fleeing for their lives, much like their first visit to this world.

"H-hey, hey, what's the big rush?" Maylin gasped, juking and swerving to avoid getting knocked over by the rampaging crowd.

"Sounds like there's trouble afoot," Nick quipped, leaping over a few scrambling citizens to safe ground so he could summon Dimension Tripper to his hands. "Any sign of the perp yet?"

"It's probably _that_ ," Haruka proclaimed, pointing just ahead towards a nearby high-rise apartment, which was currently overshadows by a large ogre-like monster.

As the ogre raised its fists to smash the building and its inhabitants into nothing but dust, Nick quickly raised Dimension Tripper and fired off a Thunder spell that screamed through the air to strike the ogre...

...only for the lightning bolt to pass harmlessly through the ogre's body.

Before Nick could protest, the ogre smashed its fists downward, only for said fists to phase through the building without damaging it at all.

"Um... anyone want to explain _that_?!" Maylin wondered.

"Wait, I think they're just illusions!" Marie gasped, summoning Rainfell to her hands and charging forward to meet the giant ogre. Even as it attempted to swat her away, Marie leaped over the strike and lashed out with a downward slash that bisected the ogre and caused it to vanish like a mist would.

"All right, that was strange on so many levels," Marie quipped. "Does this crowd even know that these monsters are probably just tricks of the mind?"

"Note, tricks of the _mind_ ," Nick answered. "Whoever's creating these illusions must have found a way to ensnare these peoples' minds to make them _think_ the monsters are real."

"Which would explain why everyone's going crazy," Maylin stated. "How do you propose we find a way to break the illusion?"

"We'd most likely have to take down whoever's causing it," Nick replied, twirling Dimension Tripper in his hands. "And my money's honestly on Organization XIII."

"Well, let's go rat out the rat!" Maylin proclaimed as the group set off into the city to find who was creating the illusions.

By the time the party had reached the main residential area, they were stopped by a pack of Unversed that resembled plants. The creature's lower body was orange and resembled a flower pot, with a spherical black head topped by a pink flower, long thorny arms that ended in dark green leaves, red eyes set in a sorrowful expression, and the Unversed symbol on the back of its head.

"Oh, lovely, now we've got marauding plants," Maylin groaned as she dodged a spinning attack from one of the Thornbites.

"Maybe we should just torch them and move on," Nick quipped, switching his keyblade to Magic Rifle and unleashing a Firaga spell that instantly incinerated one of the Thornbites.

Maylin followed suit with her own souped-up Firaga spell where three large fireballs orbited around her to scorch any Thornbites who came too close.

Haruka let a couple Thornbites get close to her before unleashing a Windcutter attack that sent them all flying.

Marie opted to use a Dark Break and pogo jump off one Thornbite after another until they were all gone.

"Well, that was fairly easy," Maylin quipped.

At that precise moment, as if something had been waiting for Maylin to utter those words, a much larger Unversed fell from the sky and crashed into the ground, causing any civilians in its way to scatter in multiple directions.

This particular Unversed resembled an extremely twisted version of Cinderella's pumpkin carriage. Its main body was a large, dark orange pumpkin that had a wide, crooked mouth and thin white lips and teeth. The large black markings on its "face" appeared to be its eyes, but its actual red eyes were on the pumpkin body's small and grey stem. Two pale yellow tentacles extended from either side of the main body and were tipped with razor-sharp yellow and blue flowers, and four black and thorny vines were curled into large "wheels" underneath the pumpkin body. Both sets of eyes were set in sorrowful expressions and its Unversed emblem was printed below its mouth.

Maylin simply sighed in exasperation as she summoned Spellbinder to her hands. "I _really_ need to learn to shut my trap sometimes," Maylin groaned.

Regardless, the young mage once again unleashed a powerful Firaga blast to drive the Cursed Coach backwards. Nick followed this up by wailing on the Cursed Coach's main body with a Sonic Blade attack.

Just as the attack ended, the Cursed Coach started to wheel itself away from the keyblade wielders, even riding up the side of a nearby building.

"Oh, no you don't!" Haruka shouted, slamming Divine Rose into the ground and unleashing a Tremor attack that shook the surrounding area enough to dislodge the Cursed Coach from its perch. Marie was already on the move before the Cursed Coach even hit the ground, launching a Dark Firaga into its face and causing the giant Unversed to go flying down the nearby street.

Once it picked itself up, the Cursed Coach began to leap towards the keyblade wielders, each landing cracking the ground on impact and creating shockwaves across the ground with each jump.

Maylin and Haruka decided to play it safe and wail on the Cursed Coach from afar with Strike Raid while Nick and Marie unleashed elemental attacks. After a few seconds of this barrage, the Cursed Coach stopped in its tracks, obviously stunned.

Nick took the opportunity to attack and charged forward, only for the Cursed Coach to break out of its paralysis and sweep both of its tentacles along the ground in an attempt to trip Nick up and leave him open. Not one for falling into such an obvious trap, Nick did a short hop to land on the tentacles, then propelled himself forward before landing on the ground and sliding under the Cursed Coach.

As the Cursed Coach lifted itself up in an attempt to crush Nick where he was, Nick leaped back to his feet and began to slash at the Cursed Coach's underbelly multiple times, ending with a strong upward stab that overturned the Cursed Coach and caused it to fall on its back.

"All right, peeps and cronies, let's riot!" Maylin shouted, and all four keyblade wielders went to town on the Cursed Coach while it was overturned and couldn't fight back.

After about five seconds of this beatdown, however, a dark aura exploded outwards from the Cursed Coach and blasted everyone away from it.

"Oh, I think it's mad," Maylin quipped.

The Cursed Coach wheeled itself closer and opened its ravenous maw wide, creating a powerful suction that managed to pull Maylin in, despite her best attempts to escape.

"Let her go, pumpkin boy," Nick growled, raising Magic Rifle. "I'm _not_ going to ask you again."

The Cursed Coach simply shook its body, as if it was laughing at them.

 **("Kocchi wo Muite" by Yukana Nogami plays)**

" _Style Change: Spellweaver!"_ Maylin shouted, a great burst of light exploding outward from the Cursed Coach and forcing it to spit Maylin out. When she landed, Maylin's body and keyblade were glowing a radiant blue and floating slightly off the ground, her eyes twinkling and Stormfall telekinetically floating by her right hand.

The Cursed Coach roared in challenge even as Maylin began to strike, starting by swinging Stormfall low and letting it spin around, then following up with a flying uppercut with the spiraling keyblade, then thrusting it forward and creating a prism-shaped barrier in front of her that spun around to damage the Cursed Coach. Maylin finished her combo by aiming Stormfall for the Cursed Coach's main body and firing off a large sphere of light that did multiple hits worth of damage and caused the Cursed Coach to step back.

"Yeah, you want some more of my awesomeness?!" Maylin shouted.

The Cursed Coach responded to this threat by levitating above the ground and shooting small pumpkins into the air. These pumpkins eventually came back down to earth as a rain of firebombs, forcing the group to stay on the move.

"Maylin, since you're in a Style Change and not us, you wanna do the honors and finish this creep off?" Haruka quipped.

"I'd be delighted," Maylin responded as energy began to gather around Stormfall and Maylin began to spin around like a ballet dancer, spirals of light surrounding her as she did so and lifting the Cursed Coach into the air with each hit.

After about seven straight seconds of spinning, Maylin finished with a swift flourish of Stormfall that created a large ice crystal above her, which instantly shattered and created a shockwave that finally finished off the Cursed Coach, its body crumbling to the ground much like a smashed pumpkin as it evaporated into dark mist.

"Another Unversed served up original recipe style," Maylin giggled as she reverted out of Spellweaver.

"I guess I'm just glad we only _occasionally_ have to deal with the Unversed," Nick sighed.

"Why is that, big bro?" Marie wondered.

"Remember what Future Lily said?" Nick replied. "The Unversed come from her, and no matter how many we defeat, she can just make more of them."

"Then that means the only way we're gonna get rid of the Unversed is if we get rid of _her_ ," Haruka stated.

Nick's thoughts were cut short when he noticed a streak of green light darting through the air high above the city, no doubt observing events.

"Hey, is that Tatsu?" Maylin asked.

"I bet the Hero Association was called in to investigate these odd illusions," Haruka quipped. "Especially if they're taking the form of monsters."

The green streak thundered back to the ground, revealing that it was indeed Tatsumaki who had been investigating.

"Did that dumb baldy beat me to _another_ one?" Tatsumaki groaned, her expression only softening up when she noticed the group in front of her. "Welp, that answers _that_ question."

"Is the Hero Association part of this?" Haruka asked.

"Yup," Tatsumaki replied. "These annoying things keep popping up all over the city, and considering how strong a lot of them seem to be, they decided to send out a bunch of S-class heroes to figure it out."

"It seems like a lot of these monsters are just illusions," Nick explained. "We saw a giant ogre thing try to smash an apartment, but it just passed through it like a ghost."

"And yet a lot of people were fleeing like mad from the things, so we figured that whoever's creating the illusions must be making everyone think that the monsters are real," Maylin continued.

"Our prime suspect is a member of Organization XIII," Marie quipped.

That particular name got Tatsumaki's attention, and she glanced back towards where she'd originally been checking. "Are these Organization guys a bunch of jokers in black hoods?" Tatsumaki asked. "Because I think Child Emperor spotted one of them skulking around here."

"Yep, they're here," Maylin proclaimed. "You were right on the money, Nick."

"Well, with what these guys are capable of, I wouldn't rule them out at all," Nick replied. "Let's go into the main city area and see if they're somewhere around."

"Why would they be in the city?" Tatsumaki wondered.

"Because Organization XIII is after people's hearts," Nick answered. "Which means they're usually going to attack where there's a lot of people. I assume the evacuations are still going on?"

"The alert _was_ just put out, so the whole city hasn't evacuated yet," Tatsumaki stated. "We'd better go check it out."

With that, the entire group forced their way through the city, taking out Heartless and Unversed and dispelling the strange illusions along the way.

"Oh, by the way, who are _you_?" Tatsumaki asked Marie.

"O-oh, I'm Nick's younger sister," Marie answered as she leaped forward to cut down a Wyvern that was charging her. "Nice to meet you, Tatsumaki."

"Didn't... didn't Nick say that... well, you _died_?" Tatsumaki wondered, snaring another approaching Wyvern in her psychic grip and piledriving it into the ground, instantly destroying it.

"It's honestly a long story," Marie quipped.

Marie didn't get a chance to tell Tatsumaki her story, though, as the group was stopped in a large plaza by a large robot, not kaiju-size like some of the recent monsters, but large enough to tower over them.

The robot had a white, orange and red body with large shoulder pads, feet resembling red heels, orange eyes, and two long orange strands on the sides of its face resembling hair. A long and pointed grey antenna protruded from its forehead and it was carrying a long lance in its right hand. with a body colored white, orange, and red. It has large shoulder pads, with feet styled like red heels. It has a pair of long orange-gold strands resembling hair on the sides of its face, with orange eyes.

"Ooooookay?" Maylin quipped.

"You think it's another illusion?" Haruka asked.

The robot, apparently called "Strelizia", as that was the name that ran through Nick's mind at the moment (noting it was one letter off from Strelitzia's name), swung its lance and sliced a nearby fountain in half with just the swing.

"Um, I think this one's real," Nick stated.

"They didn't say anything about a giant robot," Tatsumaki proclaimed. "Ooh, if those jerks lied to me about this..."

Marie decided to step away so as not to suffer any damage from Tatsumaki's rising anger, but her apprehension quickly faded when she noticed something out of place on Strelizia.

Namely, a large black tree root curling around its chest area.

 **("Kiss of Death" by Mika Nakashima feat. HYDE plays)**

Nick quickly summoned Psychic Punch to his hands, motioning for the others to summon their keyblades as well.

"Wait, a giant root?" Tatsumaki asked.

"The Dark Mother's work," Nick answered.

"We don't have time for explanations, Tatsu! That thing looks like it's ready to go on the warpath!" Maylin exclaimed.

Strelizia rushed forward, its lance pointed forward with every intent of skewering them all where they stood. Maylin put a stop to that by casting Reflect and causing Strelizia to bounce backwards, giving Haruka ample time to charge in and start attacking the root around Strelizia's chest.

Strelizia responded by spinning its upper body around, lance extended, forcing Haruka to back away from the tornado of death. Maylin hopped off of Haruka's shoulders and fired a Thunder spell into Strelizia's face.

"Somebody stop the rampaging robot, please!" Maylin shouted.

Tatsumaki floated over and raised her hand, snaring Strelizia in her psychic grip and rendering it incapable of moving. "All right, you guys, do your thing," Tatsumaki teased.

"That's the idea," Marie giggled, thrusting her free hand forward and firing a rather large Dark Firaga into Strelizia's chest, happy to see they were doing some damage to the root that was controlling Strelizia.

Just as Nick was about to start attacking himself, he noticed Strelizia shaking more and more with each passing second.

"Wait, it shouldn't be able to move at all!" Tatsumaki exclaimed.

"It's probably the root," Nick stated. "It seems to have some of the Dark Mother's magic in it, so it gives its host otherworldly powers."

"LOOK OUT!" Maylin screamed just as Strelizia broke free of Tatsumaki's psychic hold and slashed three times with its lance, then stabbed forward, sending Haruka flying backwards into the pool of water that was still in the remains of the fountain.

"I'll fix her up, big bro!" Marie exclaimed, doubling back to help Haruka. "You just focus on cutting that root off!"

Nick nodded, then swung Psychic Punch out to parry a slash from Strelizia's lance, then slammed his keyblade down to drive the lance into the ground. Strelizia quickly recovered, though, and spun around to thrust its lance towards Nick again, who sidestepped the stab so that the lance pierced into the ground.

Nick took advantage of this opportunity to start running up the lance, much like he had done against a Darkside way back when his adventures had first taken off, and started slashing at Strelizia's face before hitting it hard enough with a Blitz to knock the rampaging robot on its back and expose the root.

"Hey, Nick, you want to wreck this thing?" Haruka asked, rushing up to Nick and taking his free hand.

"Delighted to," Nick quipped as Haruka vanished from sight. Nick threw his arms out and a bright flash erupted from his clothes, and when it cleared away, Nick was in Valor Form, dual-wielding Psychic Punch and Dimension Tripper.

"Oh, I didn't know you could do that," Tatsumaki quipped.

"I've got many secrets," Valor Form Nick laughed. "But for the moment, excuse me as I end this fight."

Valor Form Nick began sprinting towards Strelizia even as it picked itself up and began glowing with a dark aura.

"Oh, _that's_ not pleasant at all," Marie stated.

Strelizia began to swing wildly with its lance in multiple directions. Valor Form Nick parried each strike as best he could, until a small gap in the wild attack gave him the chance to use an Over the Horizon leap to get right up close and start attacking the root again.

"Darling, what's happening?!"

"I have no clue! Strelizia's not responding to our commands!"

"Wait, there's people _in_ that thing?!" Maylin exclaimed, firing off a Blizzaga spell at the root during a break in Valor Form Nick's barrage.

That was all Valor Form Nick needed to hear, leaping one more time and unleashing a Sonic End that finally severed the root off from Strelizia, making it fall limply to the ground where it was subsequently obliterated by a Firaga blast from Maylin.

With that done, Strelizia's dark aura faded away and it came to a complete halt, allowing its cockpit to open and its pilots to leap out and land safely on the ground.

One was a girl about Nick's age with long pink hair and sharp cyan eyes, and the other was a boy about Haruka's age with shaggy black hair and rich blue eyes. Both of them had small horns sprouting from their heads, with the girl's being red and the boy's being blue.

"That was strange," Hiro quipped. "But at least we got control back."

"I'm just glad you were there, darling," Zero Two giggled.

"Now that everything _seems_ to be okay, could any of you explain what's happening around here?" Hiro asked.

"Well... this may take a bit, so pay attention, okay?" Maylin quipped.

* * *

"Ooh, I can't _stand_ it anymore!"

Irma's exclamation caught the attention of everyone in the Congregation Hall.

"Is... everything okay, Irma?" Taranee asked.

"I'm sick of just standing around doing nothing!" Irma responded, clenching her fists tightly. "We're supposed to be the Guardians of the Veil, and all we're doing is sitting around and letting our buddies do all the work!"

"Um, not to piledrive the obvious fact in, Irma, but they're keyblade wielders," Will stated. "Out of all of _us_ , only Cornelia's got a keyblade of her own."

Cornelia glanced at Earthshaker, lightly swinging it a few times and remembering the exact moment she'd acquired the keyblade.

"You feeling all right, mama?" Lily asked, spinning her keyblades in her hands.

"Just... thinking about things," Cornelia admitted.

In response, Lily just smiled. "Mama always said that that moment was when she realized she had feelings for papa."

Despite the blush that was covering her face now, Cornelia didn't bother to deny it. Lily had hit it right on the nose; the moment she'd seen Nick disappear after being stabbed by Kusumi-no-Okami was the moment she'd realized her own feelings.

"You're a good girl, Lily," Cornelia stated, patting Lily on the head. "Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise, okay?"

Lily nodded happily, again feeling that surge of happiness of being able to converse with her mother again, even if it was her teenage self.

"THAT'S IT!" Irma proclaimed.

"Um, what's _it_?" Hay Lin wondered, glancing up from her sketchbook.

Irma took a few steps towards Himerish as she prepared to make her case. "Um... Your Majesty, if it's at all possible..." Irma started, before shaking off her nerves and diving head-first in.

"...could you make us keyblade wielders?"

Needless to say, Himerish was surprised (though only slightly) at Irma's strange request, opening his eyes slightly before closing them again.

"You wish to become keyblade wielders?" Himerish asked. "Is this true, my Guardians?"

"When you think about it, it could only help you all out in the long run," Will answered. "If that super-powerful force you sensed is as strong as you make it out to be, we may need just more than Nick and the girls to face it."

"Yeah, and if we combine the power of the Guardians of the Veil with the strength of a keyblade, we'll be better equipped for whatever dangers lay ahead," Hay Lin stated.

"After all, Phobos is still out there somewhere, too," Taranee admitted. "With how much trouble we've had with him in the past, maybe being keyblade wielders will give us an edge against him."

"And there you go!" Irma quipped. "So, Your Majesty, how 'bout it?"

After a couple seconds of deliberation, Himerish rose to his full height and summoned Master Keeper to his hand. "If this is what you wish, Guardians of the Veil, so it shall be," Himerish proclaimed, slowly swinging Master Keeper in wide circles before thrusting it towards the Guardians.

Chains of golden light burst from the teeth of Master Keeper and surrounded Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin, before eventually absorbing into their bodies.

For all five of them, small balls of light floated out from their chests before flying into their hands and transforming into keyblades.

Will's keyblade, Innocent Sign, had a white handle and was surrounded by a smooth, circular, dark indigo guard. The top of the guard was decorated by three magenta diamonds, one at the base of the blade, and two on either side. The shaft of the blade was rather short and dark indigo in color. The head and teeth of the blade were comprised by a dark indigo cross with a magenta diamond set in three of its four arms, leaving the arm opposite the "teeth" bare. A white ring connected all four arms of the cross, and the keychain token was the symbol of Quintessence.

Irma's keyblade, Abyssal Tide, had a black handle with a black spike in its pommel. The left half of the guard was light blue with a small, black section near its base, and connected to both ends of the handle, while the right half was black, curved outward slightly, and didn't connect to the bottom of the handle. Its shaft was light blue on its left half and regular blue on its right half, the head of its blade was blue and formed a large hook that curves to the left, and its teeth were three curved spikes lining the outer edge of the hook. The keychain token was the symbol of Water.

Taranee's keyblade, Maverick Flare, had a simple grey rod as its handle, a yellow-range blade that slowly darkened to red near the tip, and a blade that fanned out near the tip, which was slanted and flat at the top. The keyblade's teeth were comprised of several upward-slanting spikes which flared out at the tip to resemble bursts of fire, spikes shaped like those of the Nobody sigil, all of which slant upward slightly. The guard was black and didn't connect to the base of the blade, and sported two black spikes on either side. The keychain token was the symbol of Fire.

Cornelia's new keyblade, Rockbreaker, had an off-white handle and a wide, black pommel, a black guard with thin orange edges lined by rectangular spikes that didn't connect to the bottom of the handle, a short and conical off-white shaft, and a black head with thin oranges edges and teeth. The teeth were quite a bit larger than those of most keyblades, reaching halfway down the shaft. The outer edge of the teeth was lined by rectangular spikes of varying lengths, with a small, black protrusion on the opposite side of the weapon to the teeth. The keychain token was the symbol of Earth.

Hay Lin's keyblade, Wind Maker, had a black handle with an elegant and curved light blue guard, the two halves of the guard not connecting to the top of the handle, and a blue shaft with slightly concave edges. The head and teeth were comprised of a large, circular hook that nearly forms a complete circle, the hook divided into alternating black and blue segments and its outer edge lined by spikes. The keychain token was the symbol of Air.

"From the depths of your souls, I have drawn out the power of your heart and forged it into keyblades," Himerish proclaimed. "Stand true, my Guardians of the Veil."

The five Guardians stood at attention as Himerish addressed them all.

"I will begin training you as much as I am able, so that you may be strong enough to assist Nick and his friends if they are ever in need," Himerish stated. "However, as I fear we may be running out of time, I will magically suppress the needed time for your training."

"Much appreciated, Your Majesty," Will stated.

"All _right_ , the Guardians of the Veil are back in action!" Irma exclaimed.

Cornelia could only giggle at Irma's enthusiasm, while Taranee and Hay Lin just shook their heads.

 _Don't worry, Nick,_ Cornelia thought. _I'll be there to help you soon. We all will. No longer am I just going to sit on the sidelines while my boyfriend gets to save the world. I've already done that with my friends three times, so I figured I'd give it another shot. Couldn't hurt, right?_

* * *

After explaining everything to Hiro and Zero Two, the keyblade wielders continued their quest through the city, having split off from Tatsumaki to let her take care of the _actual_ monsters that were still plaguing the city while they went after whatever was creating the illusions.

"Let's go find this nutjob and send him home crying!" Maylin exclaimed.

Maylin looked to Nick, expecting a witty retort, but was surprised to see a rather wistful expression on his face.

"Is... everything all right, Nick?" Maylin wondered.

"It's just... do you think we'll ever see home again?" Nick wondered. "The one moment I finally got to go back home, we had to leave again. And not to mention you two are still searching for your own homes..."

Maylin simply let her keyblade disappear for the moment so she could walk over and hug Nick tightly.

"Hey, don't let those thoughts get you down, okay?" Maylin stated. "We'll be home before you know it. That's a promise, from me to you. And I learned the importance of never breaking promises from somebody very special to me, if you catch my drift."

Nick couldn't help but smile as he hugged Maylin back.

The moment was interrupted when yet another member of the Mushroom XIII walked up and tapped Maylin on the hip, causing her to look back towards it.

 _I don't want to let go of Nick yet,_ Maylin thought. _He feels so warm and cuddly..._

To the young mage's surprise, No. 4 split itself into dozens of copies of itself. The original waved its hands, then mimed the numbers 8 and 5 before slapping itself across the face and shaking its head.

"Translation, Nick?" Haruka asked.

"I think it's saying we've gotta wipe out at least eighty-five of this guy's clones without getting hit once," Nick explained. "What do you say, Maylin? Wanna go Wisdom Form and clean up?"

"You read my mind," Maylin giggled, cuddling closer to Nick so they could unite into Wisdom Form, dual-wielding Fairy Stars and Scarlet Witch.

"All right, dupli-shroom, let's dance your silly dance!" Wisdom Form Nick proclaimed as he began to float away from the mass of clones, raising both keyblades and beginning to fire magical bullets from them.

Each clone went down with one shot, but they just kept popping up more and more as Wisdom Form Nick continued to shoot them down, with Haruka and Marie keeping score for him.

As more and more clones began to crowd the area, Wisdom Form Nick switched over to spamming his upgraded Thundaga spell to wipe out chunks of the clones all at once, especially considering the clones were leaping towards him now.

Despite the barrage, eventually, one of the clones leaped at Wisdom Form Nick during a gap in his magical barrage and tackled him.

"Aw, nuts," Wisdom Form Nick groaned. "How many did I defeat?"

"Ninety-two," Haruka stated. "Mission accomplished!"

No. 4's clones disappeared, leaving only the genuine article behind. No. 4 threw fireworks into the air above it, then dropped a cluster of Tranquility materials before vanishing, like all the others did.

"How many is that?" Marie asked.

"So far, I think that was six," Haruka answered as Wisdom Form Nick split back into Nick and Maylin. "And if these guys are anything like the Organization, there's probably at least seven more left."

While Haruka walked over to pick up the Tranquility materials, Maylin hugged Nick again, as she didn't yet want to separate from him.

"Um... Maylin?" Nick asked. She'd never been _this_ cuddly before.

"Can we stay like this, Nick?" Maylin asked. "Just for a little while?"

In response, Nick just nodded, returning Maylin's embrace.

After a few seconds of silent deliberation, Maylin decided that now would probably be a good time to tell him.

"Hey, Nick, can I tell you a secret?" Maylin asked.

"Anything, silly," Nick responded.

"I used to be betrothed to someone," Maylin explained. "Back on my world. To be fair, we were only about ten years old at the time, and he'd done something really nice for me. ...I lost my pet bird, and he found it for me. I kinda... devoted myself to him that day, declaring that we were engaged."

"Did... something happen to him?" Marie asked.

"Nothing like _that_ ," Maylin answered. "That day we got engaged, I also told him that if he ever met someone he liked more than me, I'd release him from that promise and let him be happy."

"I guess he found someone else?" Nick tentatively asked.

"Yeah, he did," Maylin quipped. "I _really_ didn't like her at first, though. I always thought she was trying to steal her away from me. I wanted to hate her for that, but... I just couldn't. Not someone like her."

Maylin looked up at the sky while she recounted the memories. "Gradually, as we kept working together, my rivalry with her just dissolved, and I made friends with her. Then, though..."

Nick instinctively squeezed Maylin gently, having a pretty good idea where the young mage's story was going.

"...when her quest was nearly complete, I finally realized that I... well, I had to accept that she was the one he loved, not me," Maylin stated. "So, I returned home after letting him go. But then, a year later, I actually came back as fast as I could when our world was being overrun by the Heartless, and... I'm still kicking myself for being too late to do anything about it..."

"That's one of the reasons she was so dead set on finding the Heartless and delivering some justice," Haruka answered. "She told me that she actually witnessed her parents being killed by the Heartless, and that's why she went to help her friends before anyone else was lost."

"That's when I found myself in Candracar, rescued by the Oracle," Maylin continued. "I was sent to the Land of Departure not long after so I could train with Terra, Ven, and Aqua, and once I got my keyblade, I made sure to find the Heartless that took everything from me, and when I did, I _slaughtered_ it so it could never repeat what it did ever again."

Maylin sighed heavily before looking back up at Nick. "And, well... I've never told this to anyone, not even Haruka, but... Maylin's not my real name. My name's actually Meiling Li, but... I changed it slightly after I came to Candracar, because I didn't want to associate my old name with the powerless girl who couldn't do anything but watch as her home, her friends, and her entire freakin' _world_ was swallowed by the darkness."

Maylin glanced back up at the sky; she could practically _see_ Sakura and Tomoyo smiling at her. "I wonder what'd they'd say to me if we ever found my world again..."

Nick just kissed Maylin on the forehead to reassure her. "Knowing _your_ friends, Maylin, they'd probably just be happy that you're doing all right," Nick explained.

Maylin smiled brightly before giving Nick a kiss on the cheek. "And _that_ , Nick, is one of the many reasons I fell in love with you," Maylin proclaimed. "You always know just what to say to someone."

"Irma's said time and again that I have a knack for that," Nick quipped, causing Maylin to giggle until Marie suddenly stiffened in her spot.

"What's up, sis?" Nick asked.

"Do let me know if I'm getting in the way of something important, if you will."

The entire group turned around and saw that another member of Organization XIII had appeared through a corridor of darkness. This member was a young man with a slim build, bright aqua eyes and steel blue hair with long, layered bangs that completely obscured the right side of his face, reaching about an inch or two past his chin. On his left side, his bangs, though still rather long, were shorter than the right side, partially covering his ear. A few strands of hair fell over the exposed section of his face, and the back of his hair was a bit shorter than the front.

In his hands, he carried a strange-looking book with a dark grey cover embossed with three intertwined Nobody emblems, its back displaying another Nobody logo, and its spine displaying the Roman numeral VI, along with the title "Hallucination: Another Side" superimposed over another Nobody symbol.

"You know, I should stomp on you right now for interrupting a tender moment between me and my boyfriend, you jerk-wad," Maylin proclaimed, letting go of Nick and summoning Spellbinder to her hands. "But considering that I'm in a good mood because he's _such_ a nice boyfriend, I'll give you a minute to make your case, robe boy."

Zexion simply flipped open the Book of Retribution and prepared himself. "I must commend you for making it as far as you have," Zexion admitted. "You are definitely on par with Sora and his friends. But your streak stops here. I will make the most of my second chance, and I will not allow you to progress any further."

"I'm willing to guess that _you're_ the one creating all of these illusionary monsters around here?" Haruka stated, summoning Divine Rose.

"You catch on quick," Zexion responded. "My orders were to create the illusions so I could draw you in. After all, you can't keep yourselves from helping people in need, right?"

"You know, you jerks make less and less sense every time we encounter one of you," Marie quipped, summoning Rainfell to her hands. "So how about we just get to the fight so we can put you down again?"

"Exactly what I was thinking, sis," Nick stated, summoning Psychic Punch to his hands.

Zexion held out the Book of Retribution, and its pages began to turn themselves, as though affected by whatever spell Zexion was casting.

As the book began to glow, reality itself seemed to collapse around them, the city background fading away into nothingness.

When everything came back together, Nick immediately recognized the setting.

It was Heatherfield, specifically the city plaza.

However, the sky was dark and stormy, many buildings were damaged, and confused and panicked citizens were fleeing for their lives.

Exactly like what had happened during the initial invasion of the Heartless.

"What did you do, you freak?!" Maylin shouted.

"Right here, in the ruins of your precious hometown, is where I will make you see that your hopes and dreams are nothing but a mere illusion!" Zexion proclaimed.

"Fat chance of that," Nick growled, starting off by unleashing a Sonic Blade to knock Zexion around. While this was happening, Maylin prepared a spell coin, then used it to fire off a Blizzaga spell just as Zexion was knocked back the final hit of Nick's Sonic Blade.

Despite all this, Zexion simply shrugged off the damage and flipped the pages of his book, then raised it upwards. The book's cover started to glow a rather sickly green.

"Um, what's he doing?" Haruka asked.

"Oh, I'm not staying around to find out!" Marie shouted, rushing forward to attack Zexion, only for her to be psychically lifted into the air and transformed into a book similar to Zexion's.

"You're gonna wish you hadn't done that, book boy," Nick growled, rushing over to attack the book before destroying it with an overhead slash from Psychic Punch, setting Marie free in a flurry of pages.

Haruka leaped over Marie to strike Zexion in the head with Divine Rose, then followed up with four diagonal slashes and finishing off with her Geo Break finisher, in which she slammed her keyblade into the ground and caused rock spikes to erupt from underneath Zexion and send him flying.

"You're mine, asshole!" Nick shouted, jumping up to attack Zexion and spike him to the ground, only for the Book of Retribution to glow green and snatch him up, turning him into a book as well.

"NICK!" Maylin, Haruka, and Marie all shouted.

When Nick could open his eyes again, he found himself in a silvery-gray void, surrounded by what appeared to be hundreds of copies of Zexion's Book of Retribution.

"Whoa, and I thought Taranee's reading nook was ridiculous," Nick quipped as he began to dodge the lexicons that continued to bombard him like meteors. "But if there's multiple copies of the book, that must mean he's hiding in one of them, so I've gotta find the real one and bust it up to get back..."

Nick continued to weave through the lexicons' attacks, including meteor barrages, fiery shockwaves, and even lightning bolts, while he kept searching for the one Zexion was hiding within.

After jumping over another shockwave, Nick suddenly noticed that one of the lexicons was giving off a slight green tint, a glow that none of the others held.

"Found you!" Nick shouted, utilizing Master Form's Advancing Form Ability, Aerial Dodge (Nick still didn't understand why Maylin didn't just call it a double jump) to weave through the dummy lexicons and start slashing at the glowing one with Psychic Punch.

After a good few attacks, a projection of Zexion appeared over the book, and Nick landed one final stab to the book, breaking Zexion's hold on this pocket dimension and returning them to the phantom Heatherfield.

"Please don't tell me that's all you've got, book boy," Nick taunted. "Because I'm honestly disappointed!"

Zexion responded by simply levitating into the air and holding the Book of Retribution into the air and launching something into the sky, causing hundreds of dark purple meteor blasts to come raining down from above, forcing the keyblade wielders to stay on the move.

"Okay, now you're starting to annoy me," Maylin growled, blasting Zexion with a Firaga ball to the chest and halting the barrage of meteors.

Zexion simply opened his book again and prepared to trap someone within its pages.

"Oh, I don't think so," Marie quipped, rushing over to take Nick's free hand so they could unite into Shadow Form, dual-wielding two completely black Kingdom Keys.

"W-what?!" Zexion gasped. "That form isn't in my information!"

"Then maybe you should have realized one simple fact," Shadow Form Nick proclaimed, rushing over to attack Zexion wildly before leaping above him and thrusting both keyblades downwards to unleash a spiral of dark energy blades around him that drove Zexion back.

Despite this, the Cloaked Schemer simply smirked before reaching into the pages of the Book of Retribution and pulling out, of all things, a _keyblade_. It looked like Nick's Kingdom Key, only colored shades of both black and white.

"H-hey, where the hell did you pull _that_ card from?!" Maylin shouted.

"This is precisely why I trapped the boy in my book," Zexion proclaimed. "So I could bring us to even ground."

Not waiting for Shadow Form Nick to respond, Zexion glided across the ground, swinging his keyblade out to meet with his opponent's. Shadow Form Nick easily parried the strike, but Zexion kept coming back for more, striking out with his false keyblade before leaping into the air and coming down with an overhead slam that created a dark shockwave.

Zexion looked up, expecting to see Shadow Form Nick flying away, only to see nothing there.

"Where did you go?!" Zexion proclaimed.

A small pool of darkness appeared behind Zexion, from which Shadow Form Nick jumped out of.

"Surprise!" Shadow Form Nick shouted, slashing both of his keyblades in an X-strike. Zexion attempted to defend himself, but his false keyblade couldn't stand up to the real deal, and was destroyed instantly by the attack.

"W-what?!" Zexion gasped in disbelief.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shadow Form Nick quickly split back into Nick and Marie.

"Go, Nick! Finish him off!" Marie shouted, to which Nick simply charged towards Zexion.

The Cloaked Schemer attempted to find a page in the Book of Retribution, only for Nick to fly forward with a Hurricane Period that destroyed the book, followed by landing and slashing forward with a Zantetsuken straight through Zexion's body.

As Zexion collapsed to his knees, the battleground around them dissolved as well, bringing the entire group back to City Z where'd they initially been.

"Now, _what_ , exactly, was the fact that you and your goons forgot?" Nick taunted.

Zexion, with the last of his strength, glanced up at Nick, silently conceding his defeat.

"Those who do not learn from history... are doomed to repeat it," were Zexion's last words as his body dissolved and faded back into the darkness.

"And that's the halfway mark!" Maylin proclaimed, raising Spellbinder proudly. "That's seven of them, if we include that weird girl who said she's not technically a part of the Organization... wonder what she meant by that?"

Nick looked around and saw that some of the citizens of City Z who had been fleeing were now stopping and looking very relieved.

"Guess that means the fake monsters are all gone," Nick stated. "Zexion did say he was the one who created them to get us here."

"I'm starting to wonder why exactly Future Lily brought them back from Sora's dimension if all they're doing is getting wrecked by us again," Haruka noted.

"You think it's just a distraction for something else?" Maylin wondered.

"Knowing her, she's probably got some other plan in the works in case the Organization doesn't work out for her," Marie stated. "I just hope we can find her and stuff that plan before it's too late..."

Nick looked upwards after feeling a sudden surge of power, and sure enough, the party's fifth Proof, the Proof of Illusion, fell into Nick's hands, being a small glass sphere with an imprint of Zexion's weapon on it.

"Halfway there again, girls," Nick quipped.

"I guess that means your work here is done, huh?" Tatsumaki quipped, having descended from the sky once she was completely sure that the illusions were gone.

"Yup," Maylin stated. "It's time for us to be moving on. We've still got at least half of our Mark of Mastery Exam to finish up."

"Well, I just wanted to thank you again for helping out," Tatsumaki proclaimed. "You four are certainly pretty damn good at your jobs."

"It's kinda what we do," Haruka laughed.

"By the way, what _is_ this exam you're taking?" Tatsumaki asked. "Color me curious."

As the group told Tatsumaki why they had returned, Strelitzia watched from the shadows of a nearby alleyway, glancing back at her Book of Prophecies on occasion.

"Soon," Strelitzia stated. She knew Nick's memories would most likely fully return the next time they met, but she also wanted to be sure he was ready for them.

It took a couple seconds for Strelitzia to realize that a tear had fallen from her left eye. Quickly reaching up to wipe it off, Strelitzia wondered what exactly had caused her to start crying.

After another look at the page she'd flipped to, she could easily see why.

It was a picture of Nick and Strelitzia in Daybreak Town, holding hands and smiling brightly, their keyblades posed proudly.

"Oh, _that's_ why," Strelitzia stated. The memory of the day they'd taken that picture was still fresh in her mind.

But Strelitzia simply shook her head to force the darker memories away for the moment. If she kept thinking about _those_ moments...

* * *

"And you're _sure_ they're going to come here, little missy?" Xigbar asked. The remaining seven members of Organization XIII were gathered here in this strange world that Future Lily had found.

"Of course," Future Lily quipped. "And once we do, we can proceed with the next phase."

"Um... if I might ask something?" Xion asked, hoping Saix wouldn't attack her again after what had happened at the Blue Sky Kingdom. "What exactly _is_ this world? I've never seen anything like it."

Future Lily looked up at the neon-colored sky. "This is a world that exists at the very edge of the barriers that separate the different dimensions," Future Lily explained. "Apparently, there are several 'cracks' in this barrier that are allowing travel between dimensions, which is how Sora and his 'buddies' found their way into _this_ dimension, and is how I brought you all here."

"So, this world is a defense against dimensional travel," Saix summarized. "But recently, cracks have been appearing in it, which is how we are all gathered here today."

"I don't know precisely what caused the cracks, but I have a feeling it's got something to do with everything your precious Xehanort had been up to in his dimension," Future Lily explained. "It must have damaged the dimensional barrier in yours."

"And this is where we make our final stand, right?" Roxas answered, lazily spinning Oathkeeper and Oblivion in his hands.

"Exactly," Future Lily responded.

"If I may," Luxord cut in. "What exactly will you do if we are defeated again?"

Future Lily broke out a rather evil-looking smile. "Oh, don't worry about a thing. I've got that covered just in case they do."

* * *

"Well, that was pretty fun, wasn't it?" Maylin giggled as Nick set the Proof of Illusion next to the others.

"Hey, what's that noise I hear?" Marie asked. A particularly grating static noise was emanating from the control panel.

Haruka quickly checked it out, zeroing in on the source of the noise. "Hey, I think it's that weird reading we picked up earlier," Haruka answered. "I _knew_ it wasn't just a glitch!"

"Yeah, but it's still all cloudy and fuzzy," Maylin noticed. The control console now showed the strange city-like area covered by dark green mist. This time, however, the mist had faded a bit, revealing a little more of the city in question, now surrounded by a neon barrier.

"But there _is_ something I've noticed," Haruka quipped.

"What's that?" Marie asked.

"Whenever we go and help people out in the worlds, that reading gets stronger," Haruka explained.

"Okay, so it lends some credence to my theory that, whatever that place is, it's probably the hideout of our ensemble of bad guys," Maylin stated. "So hopefully it won't be much longer before we can go there and put an end to this."

"Let's just focus on finishing our Mark of Mastery Exam first," Nick proclaimed. "We've got places to be, after all."

As Haruka piloted the Gummi Ship towards the Halidom of Ylisse, Maylin once again smiled at Nick, who returned it with one of his own that set Maylin's heart aflutter.

After kissing Nick on the cheek, Maylin thought back to everything she'd been through to this point. Losing her parents, her entire world, but still finding stalwart friends to help her through the rough times.

And never did she think she would fall in love again for quite a long time.

Maylin couldn't help but blush when she thought about it. Nick really was something else.

As the Gummi Ship approached Ylisse, Maylin prepared herself for whatever dangers were lying in wait, already eager to face the challenge head on.

No longer was she that powerless girl from four years ago.

Things were going to be different this time around. She was going to make damn sure of that.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

On the next episode:

Maylin: All right, now we're on the back of a mountain-sized _dragon_!

Haruka: Just when you think you've seen everything, huh?

Grima: And so it ends for you. Do you not see how frail these wretched human bonds of yours truly are?

Marie: Maybe we need to teach _you_ a lesson about the power of bonds, dragon boy!

Grima: Even _you_ would throw your lives away, wielders of the keyblade? I thought you were better than this.

Nick: Oh, don't _even_ give me the "you really should have known better" speech, Grima. I've heard it more than enough in my life, and I'm not gonna be subjected to it again!

Grima: Details, details.

Maylin: Didn't Nick just tell you to _shut your damn mouth?!_

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "Endgame"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	19. Endgame

Lissa nearly tripped over her own staff when she heard the earth-shaking roar from far above them.

"Holy cow, what _was_ that?!" Lissa exclaimed.

"Look above us," Lucina proclaimed, pointing the Parallel Falchion towards the sky where the monstrous form of the Fell Dragon Grima could be seen twisting through the air. "It is Grima!"

"At long last, we can defeat him," Chrom stated, unsheathing the Exalted Falchion and preparing himself.

"If I may, milord, how exactly does a man challenge a mountain?!" Fredrick wondered. "Where exactly would we attack him?"

" _The fell dragon has a weakness on the nape of his neck,"_ Naga's voice resounded in their minds. _"However, that weakness is most likely guarded by his servants. I can send you onto the dragon's back, but the rest is up to you."_

"Then please, milady, and with all the haste you can give!" Chrom proclaimed. "We would ask no more of you. Everyone, prepare yourselves! One way or another, we shall end this nightmare _today_!"

As the Shepherds began to discuss who would be sent up to Grima, far away from the Shepherds' Camp, Future Lily peeked out, wondering what exactly all of the ruckus was about.

"Well, well," Future Lily stated. "It seems they're trying to kill that giant dragon. He calls himself a god, but I think he's just delusional."

After doing a quick sweep of the camp to make sure _he_ wasn't mucking around, Future Lily summoned No Name to her hands.

"And I've got a pretty good feeling that _they'll_ be here soon enough, too," Future Lily quipped. "Pesky little do-gooders can't seem to keep their noses out of other people's business..."

Future Lily quickly shook off the thought that she was like that in a way, since she _was technically_ still Nick's daughter.

Thoughts like those wouldn't help her now, would they?

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 ** _Starring:_  
** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Eden Riegel_ as **Marie Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae / Meiling Li  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** Chrom and the Shepherds are finally going after the Fell Dragon Grima, in hopes of ending his madness once and for all. However, Future Lily is up there as well, and Nick intends to get her to see reason before her campaign of destruction goes too far. Can the Shepherds defeat Grima and prevent Lucina's bad future from coming to pass, and can Nick get through to Future Lily before it's too late for her to be saved?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **For Today's World:** Now we return to Fire Emblem Awakening for the endgame chapter. Not much more to say, except let's get to it!

* * *

Episode 19: Endgame

"Um, does anyone want to explain what exactly we landed on?!" Maylin exclaimed as she attempted to steady herself due to the "ground" they were standing on constantly moving through the air.

Marie extended her senses outwards, easily noticing that there was dark energy all around them, no doubt due to whatever they had landed on.

"Um, you guys?" Marie stated. "I think we're on the back of that Fell Dragon thing that the Shepherds have been fighting."

"H-hold your dragons, we're on _Grima_?!" Haruka exclaimed.

"Then that must mean the Shepherds are here as well," Maylin noted. "They're probably going after dragon boy to put an end to him and his crazy. I guess it's a good thing we landed here, huh?"

Nick looked over Maylin's shoulder and saw a group of the Shepherds approaching rapidly. "Well, speak of the devil," Nick quipped.

"Hey, you guys are here, too?" Lissa asked. "What's the occasion?"

"Most likely the same as yours," Maylin replied. "We're here to help you smack down Grima."

"We would truly appreciate all the help you can give us," Lucina stated.

All of a sudden, a massive sphere of dark energy descended upon the group and swiftly exploded, driving everyone to their knees.

"W-what...? What manner of magic was..." Chrom gasped.

"No... this darkness..." Lucina stuttered, struggling to balance herself on her weapon. "The future is upon us again! Oh gods... F-Father..."

Nick quickly forced himself to his feet so he could cast Curaga on Maylin, who used a Curaja super spell coin to heal everyone that had been attacked.

"All right, who's the wiseass who hit us with that cheap shot?!" Maylin growled, swinging Spellbinder threateningly.

Just ahead, the Hierophant, the future version of Robin who had succumbed to Grima's darkness and become the Fell Dragon's vessel, appeared with a large flash of darkness.

"And so it ends, Robin," Grima proclaimed. "Do you see how frail these pathetic human bonds of yours truly are? How short lived? How _utterly_ pointless?!"

"Oh, _shut up_ already!" Marie exclaimed, firing off a Dark Firaga towards Grima, only for who else but Future Lily to leap down from the air and swing No Name to deflect the blast away.

" _You again_!" Maylin shouted. "Don't you _ever_ give up?!"

"As long as I have a task to accomplish, I will not stray from it," Future Lily proclaimed.

"Don't count us out, Grima," Robin stated. "We're not dead yet!"

"Spare me the details," Grima responded. "But I suppose it's time that I got all of you off my back, so to speak, in a more _permanent_ manner."

"You wouldn't!" Robin shouted.

The Hierophant suddenly smiled wickedly. "Oh, but you don't want this, do you?" Grima laughed. "You _do_ have a choice, after all. It doesn't _have_ to be this way. There's still a chance you can save your friends. Simply become one with me, and their lives will be spared. Refuse, and you will do nothing but watch as I rend the flesh from their bones!"

Robin was understandably conflicted about this choice. After all, he didn't want any harm to come to his friends, but what if Grima didn't keep to his word?

"Robin, don't listen to him!" Chrom exclaimed.

"That creep's lying!" Lissa exclaimed. "It's just a trap!"

"Insolent human!" Grim growled. "Make your decision! Will you save those putrid worms, or will you join me and become a god?!"

After glancing back at the Shepherds, his friends, the people he valued more than his own life, he made his decision and stared down Grima. "Do you think I am a fool?" Robin proclaimed. "You'd just kill them anyway, no matter what I say to you!"

"Well, of _course_ I would," Grima laughed. "I simply thought you would wish to leave your comrades with a heroic and selfless image, but so be it. Leave them behind with the final memory that their undoing, their deaths, were _entirely on you_!"

The Hierophant raised its hands and shrouded Robin in a dark mist, and when it cleared, both Robin and the Hierophant had vanished.

"W-what did you _do_ to him?!" Lucina shouted, readying the Parallel Falchion and charging forward in hopes of doing _something_ , only for Future Lily to leap forward and swing No Name at her, forcing Lucina to retreat.

"You _honestly_ think you're going to get anywhere just charging in like a fool?" Future Lily laughed. "It doesn't really matter whether he's your _husband_ or not. I figured you'd have a little more common sense."

"Then try us!" Haruka exclaimed, flipping over Lucina and slamming Divine Rose into the ground, creating a powerful tremor that forced Future Lily to step back.

"When will you fools learn?" Future Lily stated, bringing No Name into a fighting stance. "I won't stop until _everything_ in this cursed dimension is in utter ruin."

Much to everyone's surprise, Nick relaxed his stance and let his keyblade vanish. He had promised himself, after all.

"How about you stop lying to yourself, Lily?" Nick stated.

Future Lily hesitated for a second before glaring at Nick. "Whatever you're doing, it's not going to work," Future Lily growled.

"Then I won't stop until it does," Nick retorted. "Is this _really_ what you want?"

"I don't know how many times I need to _brick_ this into your skull," Future Lily proclaimed. "I _won't_ allow what happened to me to _ever_ come to pass again."

"Didn't you hear what Blake said to you?!" Nick shot back. "You're taking it out on _billions and billions_ of people, _multiple worlds_ , who had _absolutely nothing_ to do with what happened to you. How is _that_ fair to all the people who gave their lives for your world?!"

Nick simply sidestepped to avoid the dark blast that Future Lily flung at him.

"Shut up," Future Lily snarled, Blake's words ringing in her ears regardless. "Shut up _right now_."

"You know I'm right," Nick continued.

"I said _shut up_ ," Future Lily shot back, No Name's blade shimmering with a fierce dark aura.

"Hey, other dimension or not, you're still my daughter," Nick stated, summoning Exalted One to his hands in preparation. "And as your dad, that means I have to look out for my 'little girl', shall we say."

An oppressive aura of darkness exploded outwards from Future Lily's body, forcing most of the Shepherds to back away a few steps from the sheer pressure.

Nick didn't even flinch.

"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP, GODDAMN YOU!" Future Lily screamed as she raised No Name and rushed forward with every intent of ripping Nick's head off.

Nick simply juked to the side to avoid the attack and jumped before slashing straight downwards, striking Future Lily in the back and sending her crashing to the ground.

"You just don't get it, _do you_?!" Future Lily shouted as she leaped towards Nick to spray the ground with dark lightning, though Nick simply rolled closer to her to avoid the attack. "I lost _everything! EVERYTHING!_ Don't you _fucking DARE_ tell me that you wouldn't act the same way if it happened to you!"

Future Lily struck with a cross-slash, but Nick simply swiped Exalted One upwards to parry the attack before retaliating with a Stride Break that sent Future Lily stumbling backwards.

"I've officially had it up to here with your self-righteous _bullshit_ ," Future Lily growled, though tears were starting to fall from her eyes. "You think you have the right to tell me what to do?!"

"Lily, I _am_ your father," Nick reasoned.

"MY FATHER IS _DEAD_ , YOU GODDAMN IMPOSTOR!" Future Lily shrieked, ripping forward with a spinning buzzsaw attack that Nick countered with a Hurricane Period.

"My father was _killed_ by the Heartless because he couldn't defend himself," Future Lily proclaimed, slashing forward, then spinning upwards, a strike that Nick simply blocked before sending Future Lily flying with a Ripple Drive. "I lost all of my _friends_ , I lost all of my _family_ , I lost my _entire goddamn world_... and _you_ really, _honestly_ think you can relate just because I'm your daughter in another dimension?!"

Future Lily raised her free hand. _"Style Change: Darkest Fears!_ "

Darkness enveloped Future Lily's body and formed dark claws on both of her hands, and a pair of dark wings sprouted from her back. "You've never lost _anyone_ that you loved! You know _nothing_ of my pain, and you're a _fucking LIAR_ if you think _anything_ otherwise!"

Marie took a few steps forward. "He lost me."

That, surprisingly, got Future Lily to hesitate.

"Because I was one of the vessels for Izanami-no-Mikoto," Marie explained. "When she merged all of those vessels, the only reason she couldn't access her full power was because I was fighting back. Nick... had to kill me in order to destroy Izanami-no-Mikoto once and for all. Big bro was _devastated_. If you had seen how much he was crying before I passed away, you would understand what he was feeling."

Marie summoned Rainfell to her hands and brandished it towards Future Lily. "I don't know if Nick had a sister or not in your dimension, but simply disregarding my big brother's feelings because you've never seen them for yourself is _no damn excuse_ for acting like this."

Future Lily tried to attack, but for some reason, she couldn't. All of these strange feelings flowing through her mind at once caused her to step back and clutch the side of her head, as if the memories were causing her pain.

"S-stop... stop it..." Future Lily gasped.

Nick tensed up, seeing his chance to act.

"GET OUT OF MY GODDAMN HEAD!" Future Lily shrieked, clutching No Name and running towards Nick, hoping to end this before these feelings overwhelmed her.

As Future Lily drew closer, Nick swung Exalted One...

...only to toss it aside and do something that shocked everyone else present.

The instant Future Lily was close enough, Nick jumped forward and pulled her into a hug.

"H-Hey, what the hell do you think... you're..." Future Lily started, ready to run Nick through with her dark claw, only for her to trail off at the strange warmth Nick seemed to exude.

The warmth she was pretty sure she was never going to feel again.

That feeling, along with all of the other emotions swimming in her mind, finally broke her. Future Lily suddenly burst out crying and hugged Nick back, unable to stop herself now that her personal dam had been shattered.

Nick simply held her, letting her vent all of her frustration. As Future Lily cried, he could hear small whispers of his name.

"Is... anyone else confused here?" Lissa asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Chrom admitted.

After about a minute, Future Lily looked up at Nick with tear-stained eyes.

"I... I have to go," Future Lily stated, gently letting go of Nick, but not before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

The instant Future Lily warped away, however, Marie had glanced in her general direction, having noticed something she hadn't before.

 _What was_ _ **that**_ _?_ Marie thought. _Eh, maybe just my imagination._

"Did... did that actually work?" Maylin asked now that the area was mostly calm again.

"Honestly, no real clue," Nick admitted. "But I know for a _fact_ that I got through to her."

"Um, guys, while this is all flowery and nice, _what happened to Robin?!_ " Haruka exclaimed, putting everybody back on edge.

* * *

"W-where am I?" Robin asked. All he could see around him was darkness.

"Where your god wills you to be," Grima proclaimed. Robin looked up and saw the Hierophant standing there, glaring at him as if to viciously mock his hopelessness. "Now if you will excuse me, I still have a bunch of fleas on my back to take care of."

"I won't let you," Robin growled.

"As if you are in any position to stop me," Grima laughed. "I have you at last. Once our power is combined, the dragon's might will be made whole."

"You..." Robin started, trying to find something he could attack with, even if it seemed hopeless.

"To tell the truth, I simply cannot understand why you care so deeply for these foolish creatures," Grima admitted. "But it doesn't really matter anymore, does it? Your soul belongs to me now, and you cannot escape. Your mind shall descend into the shadows of mine!"

"Forget it, Grima!" Robin shot back.

"You still resist?!" Grima shouted. "Perhaps I should end you _first_!"

The Hierophant drew a Levin Sword laced with darkness and rushed Robin, enveloping him in that same darkness and making him feel like he was drowning in it.

"So dark... just a sea of blackness..." Robin gasped. "No final strategy left... no cards left to play... does this... mean... Grima has... won? I... I can't see anything... can't hear anything... is this... really... the end?"

" _-ve to -ack!"_

"What?"

" _Yo- ha— fi— back! —ghting!"  
_

"Wait... I can... I can hear a voice... who's calling to me?"

" _Fight ba—! —ave to keep —ing!"_

"C-Chrom?!" Robin gasped, finally recognizing the voice.

" _Fight back, Robin! That's what you swore to always do, remember? Now make sure you keep your damn word!"_

"What?! No, this cannot be! You belong to me now!" Grima shouted in disbelief. "The dragon's grip cannot be broken!"

And sure enough, Robin began to hear the voices of his other allies.

"Please come back to us, Robin!" Lissa exclaimed.

"I know it would take more than this to stop you, sir!" Frederick shouted.

"You must arise from your hypnopompic state! You are sorely needed here!" Miriel proclaimed.

"Remember all the days we spent together, Robin!" Sumia exclaimed.

"Robin, you _will_ get up this _instant_ , or you'll suffer a swift smack from my parasol!" Maribelle shouted.

"We're right here by your side, always!" Cordelia exclaimed.

"Do not rob the taguel of one of our last true champions!" Panne exclaimed.

"Gregor will snap you out of it! Gregor does with the YELLING!" Gregor shouted.

"You said I was your favorite dragon! Just forget about that nasty Grima!" Nowi shouted.

"Get up, Robin!" Tharja exclaimed. "No one goes down without my say..."

"You have earned my trust and my love, Robin," Lucina proclaimed. "Please return to us!"

"If you don't come back, I'm _never_ going to forgive you!" Severa exclaimed.

"Hey, come on, Robin, you can't close up shop on us now! We still need you!" Anna exclaimed.

"Father, you mean everything to me! I couldn't bear to lose you again!" Morgan shouted.

"You are not Grima, and he is not you," Tiki proclaimed. "Please remember that, Robin!"

"Don't listen to Grima's lies, Robin! You're better than this!" Marie shouted.

"You're not dying on my watch, Robin! GET UP!" Maylin shouted.

"Think of your friends, Robin! Your family! The people you love are all depending on you!" Haruka exclaimed.

"You can't succumb to fate, Robin! Only _you_ can control your own destiny! You, and _no one else_!" Nick shouted.

"My friends... I can hear my friends!" Robin exclaimed.

"Cease this at once!" Grima shouted, clearly rattled. "Silence these wretched voices! You are all powerless, frail, insignificant! YOU ARE NOTHING!"

"Return to us, Robin! Your bond with all of us is stronger than even the might of the Fell Dragon's might!" Chrom's voice resounded.

"I'm coming, Chrom!" Robin shouted. "Hold on, everybody!"

Robin summoned all of his willpower and jumped forward, passing through what felt like an invisible wall to return to the battlefield where everyone was waiting for him.

" _That's_ my dude!" Maylin shouted.

 **("Id ~ Purpose" by Hiroki Morishita plays)**

The Shepherds all raised their weapons, and Nick and his friends summoned their keyblades for battle.

" _Hear my words, Awakener!"_ the voice of Naga resounded in everyone's minds. _"Grima's servants will beset you without end, so you must dispatch him as soon as you are able. Once the fell dragon is weakened, you will be given a choice. If Chrom lets the final blow fall, Grima will survive but return to his slumber. If Robin strikes in Chrom's stead, both his and Grima's lives are forever ended. Only in this way may the fell dragon be destroyed once and for all. The final decision is yours alone."_

"Foolish mortals!" Grima shouted, the Hierophant preparing to attack. "Do you honestly think you have any hope of defeating me?! I am Grima! I am DESPAIR! I... AM... THE END!"

"For the last freaking _time,_ Grima, _shut your damn mouth!_ " Maylin shouted, firing off a Thunder spell that sent the Hierophant reeling. "I've officially had it up to here with bad guys who think they're gods when they're _clearly_ not even _close_!"

"Your nightmare ends today, Grima," Nick proclaimed, raising Exalted One and readying himself for battle.

Morgan raised her tome to attack when she noticed a bunch of Risen approaching from behind the Shepherds.

"Must be the servants Naga was telling us about," Marie quipped. "All right, what's the battle plan here, you guys?"

Nick motioned for Chrom and Robin to come closer.

"What shall we do, then?" Chrom asked, readying the Exalted Falchion for the fight of his life.

"You, Robin, and Lucina are gonna stick with us and go after dragon boy over there," Nick explained. "With the others fighting the Risen, that'll give us much more time to take down Grima without getting interrupted every five seconds."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Maylin quipped. "Grima's not taking down _any more_ keyblade wielders on our watch!"

"I'm all for it," Lucina proclaimed, rushing over to join them. "Grima will trouble us no longer!"

"All right, then, Grima, let's throw down!" Marie shouted.

"FOOLS!" Grima shouted as the Hierophant raised his hands and fired a salvo of dark lasers from his palm in a straight line. The small group all jumped away to dodge the attack, with Maylin raising Spellbinder to cast Thundaga on the Hierophant.

"Lucina, let's hit him together!" Chrom shouted.

"Yes, father!" Lucina responded, and the two of them dashed over to attack the Hierophant with a dual Aether strike. "How _dare_ you take the image of my beloved husband?! I lost to you once, you monster. I shall _never_ lose again! Here and now, you shall die so that our future can live!"

"YOU CANNOT SLAY WHAT MAY NEVER DIE!" Grima exclaimed, craning its neck and head towards its opponents as the Hierophant raised its free hand. Grima's mouth opened to breath a stream of dark spikes towards Chrom and Lucina.

Maylin was over there in a flash, casting Reflega to create a large prism-shaped barrier that protected them from Grima's Expiration attack.

"Whew, that was close," Maylin sighed. "Nick, get in there!"

"All over it," Nick replied, weaving around Maylin and attacking the Hierophant with Ars Arcanum.

A left-horizontal spiral slash, a right-horizontal flourish, a vertical uppercut, a downward spike, four left-to-right-to-left slashes, a diagonal uppercut, and a downward chop, Exalted One's blade leaving orange light trails with each movement Nick made.

An outward stab, a right-hand slice, two diagonal slashes in an X formation, a quick slap with the flat of the blade, and finally, Nick gripped Exalted One tightly, leaping into the air and slicing downward with all the force of a crashing airliner, the final strike causing the Hierophant to stumble backwards.

While the Hierophant was stumbling, Maylin went on the offensive as well, stabbing rapidly at the Hierophant's body before ending with a Magic Hour that knocked the Hierophant into the air.

Robin took advantage of this and unleashed a powerful Thoron to attack the Hierophant while Marie blasted him back with a Dark Firaga to its chest.

"ARROGANT MORTALS!" Grima bellowed. "I WILL NEVER BOW TO YOU!"

The Hierophant drew a Levin Sword, much like it had against Robin earlier, and charged towards the keyblade wielders.

"Oh, you wanna play that game, huh?" Nick quipped, dashing forward to meet the Hierophant head on and start to duel him. This gave Maylin and Haruka time to get behind the Hierophant and prepare for an attack of their own.

"YOU ARE BUT ONE OF MANY KEYBLADE WIELDERS WHO MET THEIR DEMISE AT MY HANDS," Grima proclaimed as the Hierophant attacked with an overhead flourish of its Levin Sword that Nick blocked with an uppercut, followed by a swift Slapshot to push the Hierophant back. "YOU WILL MEET THE SAME FATE AS ALL THE OTHERS."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, Grima, but I don't believe in fate!" Nick shot back, snapping Exalted One down and unleashing an Explosion around him. "Maylin, Haruka, you're up!"

"ROGER THAT!" Maylin and Haruka shouted, dashing to opposite sides of the Hierophant and uppercutting him into the air.

Maylin twirled Spellbinder and cast an enchantment that caused the blades of both Spellbinder and Divine Rose to begin emitting sparkles of light. When the Hierophant fell back down, Maylin and Haruka leaped back and began firing comet-like blasts from their keyblades that exploded on contact with the Hierophant.

After about ten seconds of rapid-fire blasts, Maylin and Haruka leaped above the Hierophant and thrust their keyblades downwards, unleashing a storm of sparkly explosions all around the Hierophant, damaging him even further.

"And _fear_ Comet Rain!" Maylin exclaimed.

A loud scream from Maribelle caught the group's attention. Nick spun around and noticed that yet more Risen were crowding the Shepherds.

"Oh, that's just not nice," Nick growled. "Marie, keep Grima busy for me, okay? I'm gonna clean house."

"You got it!" Marie stated, unleashing a Dark Firaga towards Grima's head to keep it away.

Nick doubled back towards the Shepherds, already holding the Dragon Charm in his hands, with Maylin and Haruka following.

Lissa blasted a Risen away with an Arcthunder spell, only for a Dusk to come flying towards her.

"What the heck?!" Lissa shouted, raising her staff to defend herself, only for Nick to leap forward and bisect the Dusk with an overhead strike.

"Wonderful, this is _just_ what we need right now," Nick groaned as Heartless and Nobodies began to appear alongside the Risen. "Maylin, Haruka, you ready?"

"Let's mop 'em up, fearless leader!" Maylin quipped as Nick held the Dragon Charm to the sky, causing Maylin and Haruka to vanish from sight.

Nick let go of the Dragon Charm and it floated just above him. Nick raised Exalted One towards the Dragon Charm, and glowing green wings of light burst from either side of the charm, eventually wrapping around it in a cocoon-like fashion. A few seconds passed before the wings opened up, revealing Einherjar Tiki floating there with a pair of emerald green wings sprouting from her back.

"Um, why do I see _two_ Tikis now?" Nowi wondered.

"Long story," Nick stated as Einherjar Tiki prepared for battle.

Many Dusks decided to spin through the air and attack directly, but they were met with a burst of fire from Einherjar Tiki's hands, stunning them just long enough for Nick to spin through the air with a Hurricane Period and finish them off.

A pair of Large Bodies attempted a pincer attack, but Einherjar Tiki stopped their charge cold with a double lightning bolt attack that dropped both of the Large Bodies, giving Nick ample time to circle around to their backsides and finish them both off with a double swing.

As Nick moved closer to cut down a number of Risen, Einherjar Tiki snapped her fingers, causing a few of the Nightwalkers to explode into dark particles thanks to eruptions of fire.

However, a horde of Savages and Assassins had cut down the remaining Risen and were now advancing on the Shepherds.

"For Naga's sake, can you just _not_?!" Nick shouted.

Einherjar Tiki simply grinned, her wings growing in size and surrounding her like a cocoon. A few seconds later, the wings retracted to reveal Einherjar Tiki had transformed into her Manakete form.

Einherjar Tiki gestured her head to Nick, and he got the message quickly, jumping onto Einherjar Tiki's back and holding on as she barreled towards the swarm of Nobodies.

Einherjar Tiki simply swiped at any Nobodies that dared get close to her, breathing fire to get rid of any long-range pests while Nick played fire support, blasting at Dusks and Savages with spells from far away.

After a few more rounds of this magical assault, both Nick and Einherjar Tiki silently agreed it was time to end this battle. Einherjar Tiki concentrated her magical powers, surrounding her dragon body with flashes of fire and electricity, while Nick channeled his own magical powers, ice and water surrounding his keyblade.

As more Nobodies closed in on them (and the Shepherds made sure to get out of the way), Nick and Einherjar Tiki unleashed their maelstrom of elemental might in the form of a four-element shockwave that spread out from them at the speed of lightning, instantly vaporizing the horde upon contact.

Once the area was calm again, Einherjar Tiki returned to her normal self and bowed to Nick before returning herself to the Dragon Charm.

"That was... something else," Anna admitted as Maylin and Haruka returned to the battlefield.

"You get used to it after a while," Maylin admitted.

Marie suddenly leaped backwards, dodging and weaving through a torrent of dark spikes that Grima's head was firing at her, while the Hierophant swung his Levin Sword to keep Robin and Chrom at bay.

"Okay, I'm really getting sick of this long and drawn out fight," Nick proclaimed. "I think it's time we end this."

Knowing what Nick was planning, Maylin, Haruka, and Marie (after helping Lucina get back to her feet after a pretty nasty shot from the Hierophant) got into position, the three girls standing in a triangle formation around Nick.

The Hierophant noticed them, however, and rushed forward to attack. "YOU WILL NOT HAVE THE SATISFACTION!" Grima shouted, only for Robin and Chrom to stop the Hierophant short with a double slash across his back.

"You will stay _right there_ , fiend," Robin proclaimed.

The Hierophant spun on its heel to face Robin and Chrom, exactly what the keyblade wielders were hoping for.

A magical glyph appeared under them as they raised their keyblades, the teeth touching and creating a sphere of light above Nick. Spinning his keyblade in his hands, Nick did a short hop before slamming the blade of Exalted One into the ground, straight through the center of the glyph, and turning the keyblade like he would in a lock. The sphere of light above him reacted, unleashing powerful light beams in just about every direction from it until exploding outwards in a massive shockwave of light that passed harmlessly through Robin and Chrom, but damaging the Hierophant so badly that it drove him to his knees.

"Checkmate," Maylin quipped.

"I think this is your chance, you guys!" Haruka exclaimed. "Go on and finish him!"

Chrom had already raised the Exalted Falchion to do just that, only for Robin to push him gently to the side.

"W-wait, Robin, what are you...?" Chrom gasped.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" Grima shouted, a definite note of panic in his voice, as if he knew what would happen if Robin dealt the final blow.

"You know, for once, I'm actually happy that you and I are one and the same," Robin admitted, his spellbook glowing. "This way, I can give my life to protect the people I love."

"YOU... YOU WOULD NOT DARE!" Grima exclaimed.

"I would, and I will," Robin proclaimed, raising his own Levin Sword for the finishing blow. "The evils you have visited upon this world are unthinkable, but in some way, we share the blame. So I think it's only right that we meet our end together!"

All Grima could do was scream as Robin thrust his Levin Sword forward and stabbed it straight through the Hierophant's chest. The dark doppelganger thrashed in rage for a few seconds before falling limp and fading away, a large heart escaping into the sky.

The instant Robin fell to his knees, Chrom raced over to him despite knowing that Robin was about to meet his end.

"T-thank you, Chrom," Robin gasped, his body beginning to disappear. "For everything. Please... please tell the others that... that my last thoughts were of them... I pray we meet again... in a better life..."

Chrom tried to say something, _anything_ , to dispel his fears, but Robin had spoken his last, waving goodbye to the Shepherds and fading away.

As the Shepherds began to grieve for their fallen comrade, the ground around them began to shake violently.

"Um, guys, I think we need to find a way off of the _crashing dragon_!" Maylin exclaimed.

" _Fear not,"_ Naga's voice resounded. Everyone was enveloped in columns of soft green light and teleported away, back down to the ground below where they had begun this battle.

Nick watched with a sense of finality as Grima's body crashed into the side of the nearby mountain before dissolving into particles of darkness that faded away in turn, leaving absolutely nothing of the Fell Dragon behind.

Chrom simply sighed in a mix of grief and relief. "The war is over, my friends," Chrom proclaimed, addressing everyone that had come with them. "The Fell Dragon will never trouble any of our worlds ever again. I owe every single one of you far more than mere words could ever repay. The same goes for everyone who stayed behind to ensure our safety in this battle."

Chrom glanced up to the sky. "Especially Robin, who gave himself to save us all. To save all the worlds out there."

Lissa found she couldn't stifle the tears that were falling, even after Maylin walked over to give her a hug. "P-poor Robin..." Lissa sobbed. "After everything he's done for us... it _can't_ end like this..."

"Don't cry, Lissa," Chrom replied. "We'll see him again someday. I'm sure of it. After all, remember what Naga said? That he would survive if our ties were strong enough? I know in my heart that this isn't over. I believe Robin is out there somewhere, and I'll find him, even if it takes me the rest of my days."

"Y-you're right! He's gotta be out there _somewhere_ , and we'll find a way to bring him home, even if we have to scour every open field in this whole stupid _world_!" Lissa proclaimed.

"I believe the same thing, my prince. Robin is far too strong to simply fade away. I guess that means it falls to us to watch over the realm until his return," Fredrick stated.

"While statistically unsubstantiated, I have what laymen's terms might call a 'hunch'. This hunch corroborates with most of the statements made thus far," Miriel proclaimed, seemingly calm despite the tear that fell from her left eye.

"I really wish he could have stayed with us long enough to watch me keep getting stronger... but that's all the more reason to keep working hard until he returns!" Sumia exclaimed.

"If he returns, I might even consider making him tea. _Me!_ Do you hear that, Robin? _Me,_ making _tea_! You should consider that a great honor!" Maribelle proclaimed, her smile betraying her intended expression.

"Too many times now, I've watched loves ones sacrifice themselves for me. I have to hold on to my faith that this time will not end the same way," Cordelia stated.

"While we are still here, let us honor Robin's regard for his warren. I feel that he was a true taguel. And a true taguel would not leave family behind. I know he's out there!" Panne exclaimed.

"Oy, Robin, you daring to make Gregor celebrate alone?! Gregor not rest until he drink you under table!" Gregor laughed.

"R-Robin's not gone! No way! He's just been misplaced! I'll wait a thousand years for him if I've gotta!" Nowi sobbed even as Nick gave her a hug.

"Robin, you'd better march back here and try again, because I only send people off on _my_ terms! ... or in a casket, hehe," Tharja quipped.

"We have finally won our future back, but we are also in debt to many sad memories. I still pray that at least one of those sadnesses can be undone," Lucina proclaimed.

"Y-you fool! Why did you sacrifice yourself?! I refuse to accept it. Return _immediately,_ Robin, or you'll face my wrath!" Severa exclaimed, not sure if she wanted to scream or cry.

"Hey, Robin? You've done so much for me and my many sisters out there. You'll always be an extra-special customer to me, so... I hope we meet again someday," Anna admitted.

"You can't leave me like this now, father... I believe in you. Please come back to us," Morgan cried.

"Robin put everyone before himself. No one could question his character. However, his work is not done. He is still needed," Tiki proclaimed.

"Robin has secured the most precious gift we could ever be given: a future," Chrom stated. "It now falls upon our shoulders to protect this gift. And I vow to give everything I have to heal the damage this war has wrought upon our world. And when Robin returns, I want him to see what his sacrifice has brought."

Chrom once more gazed towards the sky, almost swearing he could see Robin smiling down at him from wherever he was now. "Robin? If you can hear me, please remember that you will _always_ have a place with us."

And finally, the Shepherds began to make their way back to Ylisse to celebrate their victory, and in some of their cases, prepare to venture out into the world to search for Robin as they had promised.

"Hey, you guys aren't coming with us?" Lissa asked when she saw Haruka preparing to teleport back to the Gummi Ship.

"As much as we'd like to, Lissa, we've got a task to complete," Haruka answered. "We're still not done with our Mark of Mastery Exam, after all."

Almost on schedule, another Proof, this one being the Proof of Dragons, appeared in Nick's hands, this one being a small glass sphere branded with both the marks of Naga and Grima.

"Six down, four to go," Nick stated.

Lissa reached into her pocket and pulled out a trinket shaped like the symbol of the Halidom of Ylisse, handing it off to Nick. "Chrom told me he wanted you to have this," Lissa quipped. "I have no idea what it does, but Chrom said you'd know what to do with it."

Nick attached the token to his keyblade and watched as it transformed, noting that Lissa was impressed as well.

Nick's new keyblade appeared to be modeled after both Naga and Grima. The hilt of the blade resembled Grima's head, long horns and all, while its handle guard resembled the Mark of Grima, connected to the bottom of the handle by the Brand of the Exalt. The blade of the weapon resembled a much longer version of the lightning-bolt shaped Levin Sword that Robin had used, with the ribbons of Naga's dress wrapping around the blade, and three of Grima's fangs acting as the teeth. The words _Twin Dragons_ ran through Nick's mind as he studied the weapon.

"Hey, before you go?" Lissa quipped before throwing herself forward and hugging Nick tightly. "Thank you all _so much_ for everything you've done for us. We _really_ appreciate your help."

"Lissa, it's what we do," Maylin quipped. "We're happy to help however we can."

"And... about that girl you guys fought up there," Lissa wondered. "She's your... daughter, right?"

"From about sixteen years in the future of another dimension, but yeah," Nick answered.

"I think you really got through to her," Lissa replied. "Honestly, I don't know why she's flipped her lid when she's got someone like _you_ as a dad..."

"Well, apparently, I _died_ in that other dimension when our world was destroyed," Nick admitted. "And she didn't have anyone to turn to because of that."

"I'm surprised that doesn't seem weird to you, Lissa," Maylin quipped.

"When you've seen all the weird things in the Outrealms, thank you Anna for that, not much really qualifies as 'weird' anymore," Lissa stated.

"FINALLY, someone in these worlds gets it!" Maylin exclaimed, causing everyone to start laughing.

As the group continued to trade stories about their otherworldly adventures, Strelitzia watched from behind a nearby tree, occasionally glancing back at her Book of Prophecies.

"I think he's ready to remember everything," Strelitzia stated. "I'll tell him the next time we meet."

Even as she returned to her thoughts, Strelitzia still cast an errant glance at the picture in her Book of Prophecies, the one of her and Nick.

Could he ever really forgive her for being such a coward when everything in Daybreak Town was going to hell in a handbasket?

Despite her growing confidence, Strelitzia had never been able to shake that belief that she was just a coward at heart, despite everything.

 _Can he ever forgive me?_ Strelitzia thought, allowing a tear to fall.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Twin Dragons  
** _Strength:_ **17  
** _Magic:_ **13  
** _Ability:_ **MP Rage  
** _Description:_ A keyblade representing the two great dragons in conflict over the continent of Ylisse. A powerful weapon with great magic and long reach that restores MP relative to the amount of damage taken.

* * *

On the next episode:

Maylin: It's gonna be good to see Hayate again, huh?

Haruka: You know, I'm actually interested in meeting the other Wolkenritter, since they're apparently not actually bad guys.

Marie: Hey, I think I just saw that girl from the Organization who claims she's not actually part of it. Is that weird to anyone?

Maylin: I think we need to take her down before things get worse.

Nick: ...hey, Strelitzia, is everything okay? I didn't say the wrong thing again, did I?

Strelitzia: ...Nick, do you think I'm a coward?

Nick: Wait, what do you mean by 'coward'? Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "Strange Feelings"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	20. Strange Feelings

"Are we on a roll, or are we on a roll?" Maylin giggled as Nick placed the Proof of Dragons next to the others that had been acquired.

"I'd say all of the above," Haruka laughed.

"I'm surprised you actually got through to that other Lily," Marie admitted as she gazed out into the Lanes Between towards the approaching world, that of the city being overseen by the Time-Space Administration Bureau. "With the way she was swearing like a sailor at you, big bro, I thought she'd snapped or something."

"I just figured I had to get through to her," Nick quipped. "I'm not sure if it stuck, but we've definitely made some progress."

"Hey, I was wondering something, you guys," Maylin stated. "I just realized one quandary with the task for our exam: _how are we supposed to find Sora?_ "

"Oh, crap, I didn't even realize that," Nick proclaimed. "Sora and his friends could be on any one of these worlds that we've been to, considering the circumstances..."

"I guess all we can really do is play it by ear, and maybe go on another milk run when we're done collecting the Proofs to see if we can find him," Haruka admitted.

"If I'm being honest here, I really hope Sora's doing all right," Marie proclaimed. "After hearing some of the crap he's been dealing with in his own dimension, I'm worried that Xehanort's gonna try and cross the borders and deal with us personally..."

"Oh, let him try!" Maylin challenged, slashing Spellbinder dramatically through the air. "He should realize that, super ultimate dark powers or not, we're _not_ keyblade wielders to be trifled with! Besides, we're gonna be Masters soon, and maybe _then_ he'll reconsider messing with us!"

"Spoken like a true hero, Maylin," Nick quipped as the Time-Space Administration Bureau continued to rapidly approach them. "But for right now, let's focus on finishing our exam, _then_ we can discuss all the ways we'll stomp Xehanort if he ever tries anything here."

"Damn right!" Maylin giggled, kissing Nick on the cheek just as the Gummi Ship parked itself in front of the world.

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Eden Riegel_ as **Marie Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae / Meiling Li  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** One of the Wolkenritter, Signum, is investigating reports of another black-cloaked figure in the city, and with Nanoha and Fate dealing with another matter entirely, our heroes decide to help Signum fend off yet another member of the Organization. But, is Xion really all that evil, or does she actually want to help them? And what secrets is Strelitzia finally ready to unveil about the distant past and Nick's place in it?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **For Today's World:** Today we're returning to Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha As for an original story starring my favorite of the Wolkenritter (and Lonnie's, too, apparently). It's been a bit since I've written for this, thanks to other stories and, of course, Kingdom Hearts III monopolizing my free time, but we're getting back to business now!

 **EDIT 2/25/19:** Fixed the number for the Mushroom XIII contender. It was No. 6, but I kept calling it No. 7 after the first one. Thanks to Lonnie for pointing that out!

* * *

Episode 20: Strange Feelings

"And of _course_ , there's enemies to bash!" Maylin groaned when she noticed a swarm of Unversed surrounding someone at the edge of the street close to Hayate's house. "Can't we ever catch a break?!"

"That's our luck, isn't it?" Haruka laughed. "Let's go and help her out before this gets ugly."

The four wielders summoned their keyblades and raced over to join the pink-haired lady with blue eyes who was slashing away at Floods and Scrappers with her sword Laevatein.

After slicing through another couple Scrappers, Signum quickly jumped away from the flying blades of another group of Unversed. This Unversed in particular was a small creature with dark green skin, wide hips, and short legs, green highlights on its body, and lacking arms. It had a spherical, white head that was partially surrounded by a dark green "collar" with three white, leaf-like blades ending in green arrowheads atop its head, a red marking between its eyes resembling a mouth, and red eyes set in a sorrowful expression.

"What _are_ these monstrosities?" Signum wondered before clutching Laevatein tightly. "It matters not. You will _not_ harm Mistress Hayate as long as I breathe!"

Signum leaped over another attack from the group of Mandrakes before coming back down with a downward slash to unleash a Strumwinde, a fiery shockwave attack that tore through at least four Mandrakes at once.

A Buckle Bruiser appeared and attempted to catch Signum off guard from behind, but she simply spun around and dodged the incoming punch before attacking with a Lightning Flash, a trio of ultra-fast slashes so swift that the Buckle Bruiser couldn't get its shields up in time to deflect the attack and was instantly destroyed.

A trio of Scrappers attempted to charge down Signum, only for her to rush forward, shift Laevatein into its Snake Form and unleash a Luminous Dragon spell that wiped them all out.

A Mandrake leaped through the air and slammed its head into Signum's back, pushing her a few feet away but otherwise not damaging her at all.

"Be serious, will you?" Signum proclaimed before turning around and bisecting the Mandrake with a single strike.

As the other Unversed contemplated whether or not to press the attack, Signum answered that for them by switching Laevatein back into its Sword Form and unleashing her Purple Lightning Flash, charging the device's blade with fire energy before swinging it out to create a tidal wave of flames that eradicated the remaining Unversed.

Signum sheathed her sword just as she noticed someone approaching her.

"Okay, I guess you didn't need our help," Maylin quipped. "That was AWESOME!"

Signum would have re-drawn her sword if she didn't notice the keyblades this group was carrying.

"Whoa, whoa, easy, we're not gonna hurt you," Haruka stated.

"Oh, my apologies," Signum replied as she let go of her sword's handle and turned to face them. "I did not recognize you, as we had not met the last time you were here. My name is Signum, Knight of the Sword. I assume you are the wielders of the keyblade that assisted Mistress Hayate on your previous visit?"

"Yeah, that'd be us," Marie replied.

"Then, allow me to properly express my gratitude for all you have done for Mistress Hayate," Signum proclaimed, bowing in thanks to them. "I never thought she would have been able to walk again unless we completed the Book of Darkness..."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that silly old book anymore," Maylin stated.

"I assume there's a problem around here, considering that Unversed are mucking around?" Nick quipped.

"Unversed? Is that what they are called?" Signum wondered.

"Yeah, monsters born of negative emotions," Haruka explained. "They're not exactly the same as the Heartless, but they're trouble all the same. And if there's Unversed around here, I'm pretty sure _you-know-who_ is mucking about as well."

"Ooh, didn't that little tart learn her lesson from earlier?" Maylin growled.

"I am actually searching for a miscreant in a black cloak," Signum admitted, catching the group's attention. "It was not long after she appeared when these Unversed also showed up."

"Another day, another Organization member to wallop," Maylin sighed dramatically before spinning Spellbinder in her hands. "Let's go find the troublemaker!"

With that, the group set off into the nearby city in hopes of finding the miscreant in the black hood.

"I feel I must apologize for Vita's behavior the last time you were here," Signum stated. "We are simply extremely protective of Mistress Hayate."

"From what Hayate had told us, it sounds like she treats you and the other Wolkenritter like her family," Maylin replied. "And considering her actual parents are dead for whatever reason, you guys may as well _be_ her family."

"And considering Axel had been lying to you all to get in your good graces," Haruka responded. "Even if he redeemed himself in the end..."

Signum stopped in her tracks, and before Nick and the girls could ask why, they were suddenly surrounded by a swarm of Heartless, in this case a bunch of Large Bodies and Wyverns.

"Oh, you can suck it _ten times over_!" Maylin growled, summoning Spellbinder to her hands.

Nick, however, simply brought out the Cross Charm. "Girls, you wanna let Makoto take care of these ones?" Nick asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Maylin quipped. "She's got the punch for these ones!"

"We'll be back in a flash, Signum," Haruka giggled as Nick raised the Cross Charm above him, causing Maylin, Haruka, and Marie to vanish from sight.

 **("Butterfly Sky" by Tomomi Isomura plays)**

Nick let the Cross Charm float out of his hands and into the air just in front of him. As it began to spin around, Nick waved his keyblade around the charm, drawing a glyph around it. When the glyph began to shine, Nick drew his keyblade back, a smaller glyph surrounding its blade, then stabbed it forward through the larger glyph and the charm, causing Makoto to come flying out of the charm, going into a roll before hopping to her feet.

"More of the big ones, huh?" Makoto asked.

"Yeah, they're stubborn," Nick quipped.

"Well, allow me to put them out of our misery!" Makoto cackled in a rather adorable way.

One of the Large Bodies began to gallop towards them, but Makoto was already in front of it, firing off rapid punches to the Large Body's chest, her strength enhanced by her tonfas.

After a couple punches, Makoto lashed out with an uppercut that rocked the Large Body's head back and sent it into the air. Nick followed up by leaping off of Makoto's shoulders and lashing out with a flying overhead strike that destroyed the Large Body.

"Anyone else wanna party?!" Makoto challenged. One of the Wyverns flew towards Makoto, only for her to immediately send it spiraling with a Corona Upper.

Nick juked around Makoto and fired off a Firaga sphere to finish off the Wyvern.

A Large Body fell from the air at that instant and slammed into the ground, creating a shockwave that pushed Nick back. Makoto retaliated by hitting the Large Body with a Big Bang Smash, piercing its frontal defense and eliminating it instantly.

"No sneak attacks on my watch, buddy," Makoto taunted as she sent another Wyvern flying with a Particle Flare.

A rather large Heartless appeared once the Large Bodies and Wyverns had been cleaned up. It seemed to resemble the Morning Star, only with red armor with yellow and black decorations.

"Okay, I don't think so," Nick growled. "Makoto, wanna bust out the Astral?"

"This thing is what I save it for, after all," Makoto laughed before turning her attention to the Scorching Sphere. "Let's dance, ball boy."

As the Scorching Sphere began to twirl forward, Makoto took a step back, her right tonfa glowing with an orange light.

" _Rise, power of the stars!"_ Makoto shouted, lunging forward with a thrusting punch that stunned the Scorching Sphere, before going into a lightning-quick barrage of punches that kept the Scorching Sphere from advancing.

" _With my mighty fist, I'll send ya to the stars!"_ Makoto shouted, moving in for the finishing blow. _"Planet... CRUSHER!"_

Before the Scorching Sphere could recover, Makoto launched one last uppercut that literally sent the Scorching Sphere flying into the sky, where it eventually impacted with what seemed to be an astral projection of the moon. On impact, an imprint of a fist appeared in the moon before it shattered into pieces, destroying the Scorching Sphere.

Makoto landed from her final strike, flashing a peace sign with her tonfas. "You never stood a chance," Makoto proclaimed.

"Never did," Nick quipped, giving Makoto a high-five before she returned to the Cross Charm.

"You all have such incredible powers," Signum admitted once the others had returned. "I can see why Nanoha and Fate relied on your guidance last time."

"They're just naturally talented, that's all."

Signum was about to draw her sword at the sound of a new arrival, but Maylin was already over to talk her down. "It's okay, Signum," Maylin stated. "She's a friend of ours."

Sure enough, Strelitzia was leaning against a nearby street lamp, as if she'd been expecting them. Then again, thanks to her Book of Prophecies, she probably did in some way.

Once again, Strelitzia was carrying a different keyblade. This one was unique among all of Strelitzia's keyblades in form, lacking a large, engraved dark portion on its shaft. It featured many gradients of pastel tones. It had a long, gold handle, the guard had long, cloud and wave-shaped portions shifting from yellow to blue on the top and separate blue pieces by the pommel, the base featured a gold fox with teal eyes set atop an intricate gold and pink etching with a few cloud-like golden parts set above it to either side. The shaft is twisted and pink, then yellow, then blue, the blue bursting into separate clouds which form the teeth. Set in the center of the teeth, perpendicular to the shaft, was a pink symbol outlined in gold, and the keychain matched the blue parts of the blade, while the token was yellow and pink, inset with the Master's Gazing Eye.

"Last one, Strelly?" Nick asked.

Of all the ways he expected Strelitzia to react to his teasing nickname, Nick definitely didn't expect her to start crying.

"O-oh, crapbaskets, I'm sorry, I'm _so sorry_ , Strelitzia..."

Strelitzia let her keyblades, Vulpes, disappear for the moment as she walked closer to Nick, who was still trying to frantically apologize for upsetting her.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, and oh damn it damn it damn it DAMN IT..."

"Nick?"

Upon hearing his name, Nick looked back at Strelitzia, tears still falling from her eyes.

"Do you... do you think I'm a coward?" Strelitzia asked.

"W-what? Why would I..."

Not giving Nick a chance to answer, Strelitzia stepped closer and, to everyone's surprise, leaned forward and kissed Nick passionately.

Before he could respond to the sudden kiss, Nick once again felt that strange sensation he had the last time they'd met, that of his mind and body traveling somewhere else.

When Nick could open his eyes, he found himself in what appeared to be a workshop of sorts inside of an elaborate clock tower.

"Um..." Nick started. "What exactly is going on here?"

"It's time I told you everything that has come before," Strelitzia stated, appearing right beside Nick. "So you might be better prepared for what is to come."

Nick looked back at the room just in time to see seven figures in differently-designed robes convene, tensing up when he noticed that two of them were wearing the black coat of Organization XIII.

"Long, long ago, during what we called the 'age of fairy tales', the Master of Masters created the Book of Prophecies by the means of his 'Gazing Eye', which allowed him to view any event that the Eye witnessed, no matter where or when," Strelitzia explained.

At Nick's thoughtful expression, Strelitzia quickly realized something. "You said you'd heard of the Master of Masters before," Strelitzia stated.

"Maylin and Haruka told me what they knew about him the first time we arrived in the Keyblade Graveyard," Nick answered, thinking back to that moment.

 _When Nick could finally see the Keyblade Graveyard for himself, he couldn't believe the sights he was beholding. A vast, desert plain with rusted and dead keyblades stuck into the ground every which way, mountains with gigantic holes blasted through them, and not a single bit of life to be found anywhere._

" _Jeez," Nick stated. "Was it really that bad?"_

" _This used to be a thriving world, from what I can remember of the legends," Haruka replied. "But it was also the world where Izanami-no-Mikoto called, well, her home, the world she chose to rule. Over the millennia where she existed, thousands upon thousands of keyblade wielders fought bravely to break her hold on the multiverse, only to be struck down. Their keyblades were left as grave markers where they were slain."_

" _Wait, I thought that she was defeated by the first keyblade wielders," Nick responded._

" _She was, but it took many millennia of war in order for it to actually happen," Maylin explained. "The master of masters was essentially immortal, you see. Not many people know, but he was actually the very first wielder of the keyblade. He pretty much linked his soul to the power of his keyblade so he could pass through the generations and assist keyblade wielders in their fight."_

" _When his body passed on, his spirit would eventually return in a new form, like a phoenix from the ashes," Haruka continued. "By the time the master of masters finally found the power to defeat Izanami-no-Mikoto, this world had been reduced to nothing but a barren wasteland, basically what we're standing in right now."_

 _Nick gazed around the vistas of the Keyblade Graveyard, trying to imagine someone who had been part of that great war._

" _When Izanami-no-Mikoto had been dealt with, and her avatars scattered to the corners of the multiverse, the master of masters gave his life to seal this world in darkness," Maylin stated. "He knew that someday, she would return, and vowed to protect the different dimensions from the inevitable darkness."_

' _Different dimensions?' Nick thought, trying to think of someone like that, a guardian of the many realities that existed. 'No, that couldn't be.'_

"I'm not sure if I've ever personally met this Master of Masters," Nick admitted. "Though considering what Maylin said, I might have a theory... anyway, sorry, Strelly, please continue. _Oh, crap_ , I did it again..."

"It's okay, Nick," Strelitzia giggled. "I actually like the nickname. It made me cry for a different reason, one I'll get to soon."

The Master of Masters, the taller black coat-wearing figure, raised his hands, causing the others' bodies to begin glowing.

"The Master took six apprentices, and gifted each of them keyblades forged from the depths of their hearts," Strelitzia continued. "When they all became keyblade masters, five of them were chosen to be Foretellers and receive their own copy of the Book of Prophecies, which depicted an event known as the Keyblade War, where light would expire and the world would end."

The surroundings suddenly shifted and blurred as if fast-forwarding a tape, eventually settling on a scene where the Master of Masters handed a very familiar keyblade off to his sixth apprentice, the other figure in the black coat.

"It wasn't long after that the Master presented his sixth apprentice, Luxu, with the No Name keyblade that contained his Gazing Eye," Strelitzia explained.

"The other dimension's Lily said that the No Name was the most ancient keyblade in recorded history, right?" Nick asked, to which Strelitzia nodded. "Which means it must have played out similarly there as well. But that's my question, now: what exactly changed between _this_ dimension and _that_ dimension?"

"The Master instructed Luxu to pass No Name down from master to apprentice through the ages so that the Master's Gazing Eye could relay the events of the future back to the Master," Strelitzia explained. "He also told Luxu to simply watch events unfold, and to protect a mysterious black box."

The surroundings again shifted to the fountain square of Daybreak Town, where one of the Foretellers was addressing the members of their Union.

"The Master of Masters also gave specific roles to each of the Foretellers," Strelitzia continued. "Ira's role was to succeed the Master as a leader in case the Master ever disappeared. Invi, _your_ Foreteller, was tasked to observe the other Foretellers and act as a mediator in case tensions ran high."

"The Lost Page," Nick quipped. "And the mystery of who the traitor was, right?"

"Precisely," Strelitzia answered. "Aced was to be Ira's right hand, Gula was tasked with finding the traitor that the Lost Page mentioned, and Ava, _my_ Foreteller, was instructed with gathering exceptional keyblade wielders from all Unions to be part of a unified faction called the Dandelions, who would find another world in order to ensure the survival of the light after the Keyblade War. Along with this, Ava was also told to find and gather five specific keyblade wielders to succeed the Foretellers as Union leaders following the war, with only one of them meant to receive the Book of Prophecies."

The surroundings once again shifted to nighttime in Daybreak Town, where many keyblade wielders could be seen fighting off Heartless of many different varieties.

"Soon after, the Master disappeared from the world, and the Foretellers couldn't find him," Strelitzia explained. "So, to uphold the Master's teachings, the Foretellers began recruiting keyblade wielders to the Unions to gather light and fend off the darkness as long as they could."

Nick looked up just in time to see himself charging down a particularly stubborn Large Body, flanked by four more members of his Union. One was a girl with short and curly black hair and red eyes who appeared to be a "buff and debuff specialist" (Maylin's words), one was a boy with short and spiky brown hair and blue eyes who appeared to favor brute force in his attacks, one was a girl with long brown hair and emerald eyes who appeared to favor magical attacks, and the last was a girl with shoulder-length green hair and purple eyes who appeared to be the group's designated healer despite the fact she'd just whacked a Wizard in the face with her keyblade.

"Hey, that's me!" Nick quipped.

"Yes, you and your friends were very close," Strelitzia replied.

"All right, Strelitzia, since we're probably at _that_ point in this long and drawn-out story, I feel I should probably ask, since you promised me you'd tell me," Nick stated. "Where, exactly, do _I_ fit into all of this?"

Strelitzia pointed forward, and the surroundings once again shifted, this time to the base of a clock tower somewhere in Daybreak Town, where the Nick of the past could be seen talking with Foreteller Invi.

"Something Master Ava didn't know about her task was that, when it came to who would succeed the Foretellers as Union leaders, each Foreteller would pick one outstanding keyblade wielder from each of the five Unions to be the new leaders," Strelitzia explained. "I've told you that Master Ava was grooming _me_ to be her replacement, but..."

Nick already had a good feeling of where this was going, if Strelitzia's smile was any indication.

"Invi saw something very special in you," Strelitzia continued. "A few months before Izanami-no-Mikoto's attack, you and your friends from Anguis had proven instrumental in stopping an event that would have brought an incredible darkness to Daybreak Town and possibly accelerated the arrival of the Keyblade War. It was for that reason, though you hadn't been told yet, that Invi was secretly grooming you to be her replacement."

Nick couldn't help but crack a grin at the fact that Invi was smiling, something Strelitzia had told him she rarely ever did unless around the Master of Masters.

"I... I wanted so badly to meet you for a while, but... I was too shy to do it," Strelitzia continued, the surroundings shifting to show Strelitzia sitting on a rooftop in the Fountain Square, observing the many different keyblade wielders.

"I first met you at the Fountain Square," Strelitzia stated, gesturing to the past Nick, who was waiting at the fountain with his Chirithy in his arms. He looked sad. "You were waiting for a friend of yours, but they never came. I came back from my mission that day, only to find you still waiting there. I really wish I could have said something to you..."

The surroundings shifted again, this time to the scene of Nick fending off Aced like he had seen the last time Strelitzia had visited.

"I really only started associating with you and your friends after you were defeated by Aced that day," Strelitzia proclaimed.

"Not exactly my finest moment, was it, getting my keester stomped by a Foreteller?" Nick teased. "Is that where 'Strelly' came from?"

"Yes," Strelitzia answered. "It was something one of your friends came up with, and I guess the nickname stuck."

It was at that point that Nick had realized something he hadn't thought of before.

"Hey, Strelitzia?" Nick asked. "If you can, answer me this. You said that the Book of Prophecies and the Master's Gazing Eye could see the future. And yet, despite everything, Izanami-no-Mikoto still came around and wrecked everything. Weren't you guys ready for that?"

Strelitzia simply sighed, before looking upwards as their surroundings shifted yet again, this time to a scene of chaos and bedlam as keyblade wielders scrambled to run away from the grotesque monster that was Izanami-no-Mikoto's true form, who was flinging blasts of darkness left and right as well as swinging her razor-lined tentacles to cut down stragglers and any keyblade wielders that dared to attack her head-on.

Even as Nick thought one of them would crash into him while trying to run away, the wielder simply phased right through his body.

 _Guess that proves I'm just an observer in this,_ Nick thought.

"Izanami-no-Mikoto had never even been mentioned in the Book of Prophecies or anything the Master saw through the Gazing Eye," Strelitzia explained. "We only realized too late that it meant she was what we called an 'Unchained', someone who wasn't bound to fate."

"You had mentioned that even the Master of Masters had said the Keyblade War was unavoidable," Nick replied.

"Yes, because he had seen it through the Gazing Eye," Strelitzia continued. "That's how he wrote the Book of Prophecies, after all. But with an Unchained, due to not being bound by fate, they are immune to fortune-telling or future vision of any kind."

"That's why no one was ready for her, despite all the preparation the Foretellers made," Nick realized.

"You're an Unchained, too, Nick," Strelitzia proclaimed, surprising Nick. "How do you think you inherited your beliefs that people shouldn't be chained down by destiny?"

Nick would have responded to this bombshell had he not noticed the past versions of himself and Strelitzia defending themselves from a group of particularly nasty-looking Invisibles that Izanami-no-Mikoto had summoned to stall them.

"I don't know how much longer I can hold these things off," Past Nick stated, slashing his Starlight out to decapitate another Invisible, its body collapsing and fading away. "Strelitzia, find Master Invi and get somewhere safe!"

"B-But what about _you_ , Nick?!" Past Strelitzia shouted, bringing her Starlight up to defend herself from another Invisible. "If this keeps up, you'll..."

"If the rest of the Foretellers fall, too, we're all doomed!" Past Nick exclaimed, vertically bisecting another Invisible, only to be stabbed in the chest by one of Izanami-no-Mikoto's razor tentacles and lifted into the air.

Past Strelitzia couldn't do much but scream Past Nick's name even as three more Invisibles surrounded her.

"GO!" Past Nick shouted with what remaining strength he could muster.

Past Strelitzia let out a tortured wail as she swung her Starlight to destroy the Invisibles even as she heard three loud THUMP sounds.

As the last of the Invisibles faded away, Past Strelitzia took one last look at her fallen companion, impaled on four of Izanami-no-Mikoto's tentacles. Allowing a tear to fall, she tore off down the nearby alleyway in search of Invi, hoping that she wasn't too late to at least salvage _something_ from this mess.

Nick couldn't honestly believe what he was seeing, trying to find some feeling in his suddenly numb legs.

"W-wait, Strelitzia, did I..." Nick gasped. "Did I just freakin' _die_?!"

"If it wasn't for your sacrifice, I might not be here right now," Strelitzia answered. "With your last breaths, you gave me the time I needed for Invi and the other Foretellers to seal me in stasis so I could come and find you in case you were ever reborn sometime in the far future."

Nick was surprised to see that Strelitzia was crying again.

"That's why... t-that's wh-why I asked you earlier if y-you..." Strelitzia sobbed. "I-If you think that I'm a c-c-coward... I feel like I f-f- _failed_ you by leaving you there to d-d- _die_ even when I _knew_ there was n-nothing I _could_ do..."

"Hey, hey," Nick replied, pulling Strelitzia into a hug. "You said it yourself. If I hadn't given my life up, you wouldn't even be here right now. I certainly would never blame you for running to get help when it's something I _definitely_ would have done in that situation."

Nick simply held Strelitzia for a few seconds, allowing her to calm down. No doubt reliving those memories had been painful for her.

"We all have things we wish we'd done better, or that events could have played out differently," Nick stated, kissing Strelitzia on her forehead. "We've just gotta make the best of what we're given, and... well, if we don't like it, _then_ we can toss the cards out the window, if you know what I mean."

Strelitzia, to Nick's relief, giggled at his joke. "Yeah, I know _exactly_ what you mean."

As Strelitzia glanced out at what was left of Daybreak Town, she re-summoned Vulpes to her hands. "That was my last task, Nick, as the lone survivor of the Dandelions. When I woke up, I would know you had been reborn, and so I was guided to watch over you and assist you if you ever needed it."

The surroundings began to dissolve until Nick and Strelitzia were back on the street in the city, Maylin and Haruka staring at the spot where they had disappeared, Marie scratching her head in confusion, and Signum clutching the handle of her sword, ready to attack anything that tried to jump them.

"And, that's really all I have left to tell you," Strelitzia explained. "The age of fairy tales ended thanks to Izanami-no-Mikoto, and I was the only survivor."

Strelitzia balanced herself on Vulpes as she gazed into the sky. "But now that I'm back, I believe there is still hope for the future. You've become so much stronger every time I see you, and I can see, just by looking at you, that you have what it takes to conquer this looming evil that threatens us all."

"The Dark Mother, right?" Nick replied. "That's exactly why we're going through the Mark of Mastery Exam, so we can be strong enough to face her if she ever breaks out of her seal."

"I know you can do it, Nick," Strelitzia answered. "I believe in every last one of you."

Nick summoned Starlight to his hands as Strelitzia raised Vulpes, knowing she probably wanted one more duel.

"Ready, Nick?" Strelitzia asked.

"Whenever you are, Strelly," Nick responded, now happy that the nickname wouldn't make her cry.

Nick was the first to lunge forward, swinging Starlight out in an overhead swing that Strelitzia quickly blocked, pushing him backwards so she could strike with a forward stab. Nick parried the blow before slicing Starlight upwards to knock Strelitzia off balance, then moved in and threw her backwards with an Explosion.

Strelitzia gracefully flipped in mid-air to land on her feet before leaping backwards, floating up into the air and holding Vulpes in front of her.

Nick only barely had time to recognize the attack before Strelitzia unleashed a salvo of glowing laser beams from Vulpes' teeth that all converged on Nick. Quickly setting up a Reflega barrier to block the laser barrage, Nick leaped over it to sling a Blizzaga spell into Strelitzia's chest.

Nick continued his magical attack with a Thunder spell, only for Strelitzia to swing Vulpes and actually deflect the bolt away. In the middle of Strelitzia's swing, however, Nick quickly fired off a Watera spell, blasting Strelitzia with a rapid stream of large water bubbles.

"Ooh, he saw that one coming," Maylin quipped.

"Looks like Strelitzia's going for a more magical approach this time around," Haruka noted.

Strelitzia confirmed that notion by snapping Vulpes straight downwards, enveloping Nick in what appeared to be a Graviga field. Even as the magical pressure tried to pull him down to his knees, Nick was able to raise Starlight in time to cast Aeroga on himself, the whipping winds forming a barrier around him and dispelling the Graviga sphere.

Undaunted, Strelitzia raised Vulpes and cast Magnega behind Nick, hoping to trap him in the magnetic force. Nick, having seen that trick before, countered with a Stride Break that rocketed him forward, the attack just barely connected with Strelitzia and knocked her back.

Once she regained her balance, Strelitzia held Vulpes high above her, both her body and keyblade suddenly surrounded by a bunch of tiny flames.

" _Style Change: Firestorm!"_ Strelitzia shouted, a burning red glow emanating from her body and her keyblade as she charged towards Nick, swinging Vulpes in wide, sweeping attacks that trailed fire with each swing.

Nick set up another Reflega barrier, but Strelitzia kept on attacking anyway. Just when Nick was confident his spell would hold, Strelitzia finished her combo by unleashing two overlapping spirals of fire all around her that broke through the Reflega barrier and sent Nick into a tumble.

"Not bad, Strelly, but here's my answer to that," Nick proclaimed after picking himself up, his own body beginning to glow. _"Style Change: Shining Hammer!"_

Nick's body was enveloped in a bright sheen of light, and an aura of light formed on his keyblade, extending its reach by almost double.

"Time to bust out the glowy!" Nick exclaimed as he rushed forward to attack before Strelitzia could defend, swinging Starlight in spiral strikes and overhead spins, small explosions of light occurring with each hit Nick landed on Strelitzia.

For the finisher, Nick raised Starlight and let light energy flow into its extended blade, before slamming it down into the ground and creating a shockwave of light that pushed Strelitzia to her knees.

"Will that be all?" Nick teased.

However, Strelitzia simply rose to her feet once again, switching Vulpes with her own Starlight.

"Oh, I'm just getting started now," Strelitzia answered, her Starlight emanating sparkles of energy shaped like stars.

 **("Red Swan" by YOSHIKI feat. HYDE plays)**

Strelitzia raised her Starlight, those same sparkles now surrounding her clothes.

" _Form Change: Second Form!"_ Strelitzia shouted, twirling Starlight in her hands before throwing her arms outwards, a burst of light exploding outwards from her and changing her clothes into an outfit similar to Nick's.

"Okay, _that's_ a new one!" Maylin exclaimed.

Strelitzia didn't give Nick any time to wonder what she was doing, and rushed in to attack, laying into Nick with, oddly enough, many of the combos and strikes _he_ usually went with while on the attack.

It was all there, a Slapshot followed by a Vortex, then a Round Break, and ending with a Finishing Leap that popped Nick into the air. Strelitzia even swung her Starlight upwards to perform a Ripple Drive, one of Nick's favorite moves, then slammed Starlight down to perform Gravity Break and send Nick stumbling.

Before Nick was even able to attempt to right himself, Strelitzia leaped towards him and started whacking him with aerial attacks, including an Aerial Dive, Air Spiral, and finishing off with a Hurricane Period that sent Nick flying, only for her to then perform Magnet Spiral, drawing Nick back in before sending him flying once again.

Strelitzia wasn't done yet, however, and actually began a Sonic Blade attack while still in mid-air, slashing at Nick at least seven times with each swift pass. The final stab sent Nick reeling, giving Strelitzia ample time to quickly land and smash Starlight into the ground, unleashing a Stun Impact that temporarily dazed Nick.

This gaze Strelitzia all the time she needed to move on to the finale, slashing at Nick's prone form with, of all things, Ars Arcanum.

A left-horizontal spiral slash, a right-horizontal flourish, a vertical uppercut, a downward spike, four left-to-right-to-left slashes, a diagonal uppercut, and a downward chop, Starlight's blade leaving orange light trails with each strike Strelitzia made.

An outward stab, a right-hand slice, two diagonal slashes in an X formation, a quick slap with the flat of the blade, and finally, Strelitzia gripped Starlight before leaping into the air and slicing downward with all the force of a crashing airliner, the final strike causing Nick to crash in front of the others, still bewildered.

"W-what... what just happened?" Nick gasped as Strelitzia landed gracefully, Second Form fading away and returning her to her normal outfit.

Nick looked up at Strelitzia as she stepped closer to him, offering her hand to help him back to his feet.

"You pass," Strelitzia stated.

"Are you sure, Strelly? I kinda got my ass handed to me back there," Nick replied. "Speaking of which, how exactly did you do that?! It's like that form came pre-packaged with all of my moves!"

"It's something I've... well, taught myself, thanks to all the time I've spent observing you," Strelitzia admitted. "I think it'll be very useful in the future."

"So... now that you've told me everything about your task..." Nick asked. "This isn't the last time we're going to see you, is it, Strelitzia?"

"I'm just gonna travel the worlds and help whoever I can until you need me again," Strelitzia proclaimed. "So, no, this isn't goodbye. I'll _never_ say goodbye."

Strelitzia walked up and hugged Nick. "I will _never_ say goodbye."

"That's the spirit, Strelly," Nick laughed.

After releasing Nick, Strelitzia took a few steps back and opened her Book of Prophecies, its pages glowing brightly.

"May we meet again, somewhere down the road," Strelitzia stated, chanting a spell from her book and vanishing in a flash of light.

"It seems like she has had quite a rough life," Signum admitted.

"Rough doesn't even _begin_ to cover it, Signum," Maylin quipped. "She honestly deserves a break after all of this is over."

Nick was about to add his two cents when he noticed a flare of darkness from far off.

"Think that's our target?" Marie asked.

"Only one way to find out," Nick quipped. "Let's motor!"

With that, the group dashed off towards the flare they'd noticed, only to be stopped near the site by yet another member of the Mushroom XIII.

"How many do you think are left, Nick?" Haruka asked.

"I think about seven, including this guy," Nick answered. "All right, what's _your_ gimmick?"

No. 6 split into three groups of clones, each one in different patterns, then slapped one of the clones to make it disappear before miming the numbers four and five with its hands.

"Translation?" Maylin asked.

"Apparently, we need to take out all of the clones in about forty-five seconds, but I think we need to take the patterns into account," Nick explained. "Judging by the patterns, I'm willing to bet that magic is the way to go on this one, but let's actually _not_ go Wisdom Form this time, okay, Maylin? That way, we can cover more ground more easily."

"Sounds like a plan, fearless leader!" Maylin replied, summoning Counterpoint to her hands. "Let's bring the magical doom!"

No. 6 waved both its arms to signal the start of the challenge, then split into at least six different groups of clones.

Nick and Maylin immediately went to work, blasting the clones with magic spells as suitable for each pattern while Haruka and Marie counted time for them.

They quickly began to notice distinct patterns in the clone groups. For the ones that appeared in circles, a Fire spell seemed reliable, since they could spin the flames around them. For the ones that appeared in straight lines, Blizzard seemed to work, acting as a forward projectile. For the ones that appeared in vertical lines, Thunder was the optimal choice, since it could be cast to drop down from the sky above a target.

After defeating close to twenty groups of clones, the remaining clones disappeared and reformed back into the original No. 6.

"Guess we got 'em all," Maylin stated. "Guys, time!"

"Forty-three seconds!" Marie exclaimed. "Just in time!"

No. 6 clapped its hands before relinquishing a group of Tranquility materials and then vanishing.

"Okay, does _anyone_ know what these guys are up to?" Maylin wondered as the group continued their trek. "They _can't_ just be more Mushroom Heartless that want to have fun or something. Why, exactly, are they dressed like the Organization?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," Nick answered.

"Hey, speaking of the Organization," Marie interrupted, pointing towards just ahead. There, at the end of the street, was Xion, the strange member of the Organization who had actually warned them about the group's plans during the Great Pretty Cure Invasion.

"All right, you, I'm not in any mood for your monologues and cliché villain speeches, so how about you just get your weapon out so we can rumble?!" Maylin growled, summoning Spellbinder.

"Whoa, whoa, I'm not here to fight you, honest!" Xion exclaimed.

"Then why are you with the Organization if you don't want us out of the picture?!" Maylin shot back. "Answer me _that_!"

"Does it have something to do with the fact that you're not technically part of the Organization?" Haruka asked. "You mentioned that back at the Blue Sky Kingdom."

"If you'll just let me explain..." Xion sighed.

Maylin continued to stand at attention until she eventually relaxed her stance, keeping Spellbinder out just in case. "All right, make your case, but _make it quick_ ," Maylin answered.

"Thank you," Xion replied, summoning her own Kingdom Key. "First, what I meant when I'm not technically a member of the Organization. I'm actually a Replica _created_ by the Organization, a sort of 'cage' for Sora's memories. Xemnas wanted a backup plan in case either Sora or Roxas couldn't be controlled by the Organization.

"And I'm guessing that's _exactly_ what happened?" Marie wondered.

"Nailed it in one," Xion answered. "Both Roxas and I began to question our place in the Organization and why we could wield the keyblade. But when Xemnas captured me and tried to force me to kill Roxas, I actually let him kill _me_ so the memories I had unwittingly taken from Sora would go back to where they belonged and allow Sora to awaken."

"And you came back because your dimension's version of my future daughter used her time traveling powers to bring you back for her own schemes," Nick finished.

"Why did she bring the entire Organization back if all we've been doing is slaughtering them all over again?" Maylin wondered. "We've already knocked off over half of them, after all."

"All I know for sure is that she's most likely stalling for something," Xion stated. "She understands that you were probably going to eliminate us all over again, so she's most likely waiting _there_."

"And where _is_ 'there'?" Haruka asked.

Xion would have answered if she hadn't felt immense pain suddenly flooding her entire being. As Xion fell to her knees, Nick was the first to notice that Future Lily was the culprit, having stabbed Xion in the back with No Name.

"So sorry, princess," Future Lily laughed. "Can't have you spilling our secrets, can we?"

"Why, you little _bitch_!" Maylin shouted. "Why would you backstab one of your own?!"

"Hey, I told you already. To me, the Organization is expendable," Future Lily proclaimed. "Now, to get rid of you irritating variables."

As Xion fell to the ground, hordes of red-eyed Shadows congregated into a Demon Tower that was a good size larger than the last one they'd fought.

"Have fun," Future Lily laughed before escaping through a corridor of darkness.

"Oh, god, not _this_ thing again!" Maylin shouted, firing a Thunder spell into the twister of Shadows. "I've had _enough_ of you freaks!"

The Demon Tower slowly spun along the ground before swinging its mass like a baseball bat. Signum immediately planted herself in front of them and swung Laevatein upwards to push the Demon Tower back.

"How do we defeat this monstrosity?" Signum asked.

"There's usually a Dark Core in there that's controlling the whole thing," Haruka answered, diving to the right to avoid a torrent of flying Shadows. "We have to hack away at the twister to expose the core and take that out!"

Maylin jumped over another shockwave of Shadows and cast a Magnega spell right above the Demon Tower, the magnetic force pulling a bunch of Shadows into it and exposing its core.

"Go nuts, you guys!" Maylin shouted.

Marie went first, drawing her free hand back and then thrusting it forward to unleash a Dark Firaga that hit the Dark Core and exploded, causing more of the Demon Tower's shadows to fall off.

Haruka followed this up by attacking the Dark Core with Strike Raid, dodging whenever the Demon Tower threw more of those demonic Shadows at her.

Before Nick could continue the attack, however, more Shadows formed to again protect the Dark Core.

"Okay, I'm officially annoyed," Nick growled. "You two wanna go Master Form and send this thing back to hell where it belongs?"

"We'd be delighted," Haruka laughed.

As Signum unleashed a Flying Dragon Flash, a bombardment of purple energy blades, to keep the Demon Tower at bay, Maylin and Haruka both took Nick's hands so they could unite into Master Form, dual wielding Twin Dragons and Dimension Tripper.

As the Demon Tower undulated through the air and dove down to attack, Signum changed Laevatein into its Whip Form and unleashed Luminous Dragon, a fiery whip attack, to wrap around the Demon Tower. Signum then yanked her weapon back, ripping a chunk of Shadows off and exposing the Dark Core again.

"That's all the cue I need!" Master Form Nick shouted, leaping forward and using an Aerial Dodge to carry him closer quickly, and started attacking the Dark Core with a Master Strike, the wild slashes also ensuring that the rapidly-forming Shadows couldn't cover the core again.

Master Form Nick continued by unleashing a souped-up Thundaga spell, actually obliterating a large chunk of Shadows while damaging the Dark Core at the same time, but before he could segue into a Disaster, the Demon Tower swung its mass and pushed Master Form Nick away.

"Oh, _that's_ not fair!" Master Form Nick growled, ready to retaliate with more magic, only for Xion to pick herself up, gather what little strength she had left, and make one mighty forward slash with her Kingdom Key, splitting the Dark Core in two and causing all the demonic Shadows to vanish into dark mist, the Dark Core's halves crashing to the ground and evaporating into nothingness.

"And _bam_ , another Demon Tower served up extra crispy!" Maylin shouted. "...holy crap, Xion!"

Maylin let her keyblade disappear as she rushed over to catch Xion before she fell back to the ground.

"Hey, thanks for saving our asses back there," Maylin stated, though she easily noticed that Xion's body was emanating wisps of darkness, which most likely meant she was done for.

"I... if you see Roxas... please tell him I miss him, even if he doesn't remember me," Xion gasped.

"That's something we can _definitely_ do," Haruka answered.

"Before I go... I want you to have this," Xion stated, placing something in Nick's hand. "It... was a gift from me to Roxas... maybe if he sees you using it, he'll remember me again..."

Nick attempted to use a Curaga spell on Xion, only for her to fall limp in Maylin's arms and fade away.

"Damn it all," Nick groaned. "The one good egg in the Organization and my own freakin' _daughter_ shanks her before she can help us..."

"I think she said Roxas was the other good egg," Haruka answered. "Here's hoping he'll be as helpful as Xion was..."

Nick looked down at what Xion had given him, a keychain token shaped like the charm that Roxas wore on his old outfit.

Nick attached the token to his keyblade and watched it transform. This new weapon was one of the more sword-like keyblades, possessing a curved, notched blade that with a noticeably sharp edge, a color scheme derived from a fusion of Oathkeeper and Oblivion, and a handle covered with a black and white checkerboard pattern. The keyblade also seemed to reference the Nobodies in design, with Nobody thorns making up the teeth and rainguard, which was black and rounded, chain links that were heavily stylized versions of the Nobody emblem, and the full Nobody emblem adorned the hilt. The words _Acrossing Two_ came to Nick's mind as he studied the weapon.

"Aw, damn it, did we miss the fun?" another voice called out. The group turned around to see Vita and Hayate rushing to the scene.

"Unfortunately, you did," Signum answered. "We just defeated the miscreants responsible for these strange events."

"Crapbaskets, I _always_ miss the good stuff!" Vita proclaimed.

Maylin glanced at Hayate, and she was initially confused and a little nervous. After all, Hayate was wearing the same outfit she'd worn while she'd been possessed by darkness thanks to Future Lily, only her eyes were their normal color.

"It's okay, you guys," Hayate giggled. "This is just my Knight Armor. It's sort of like the Barrier Jackets that Nanoha and Fate wear. The Wolkenritter are actually helping me draw out my latent magical power now that I'm not shackled to the Book of Darkness anymore."

"Hayate admitted she was inspired by you guys and everything you did for her last time," Vita quipped. "In case, for some reason, we're not around, Hayate wanted the power to protect her friends."

"Strength to protect what matters," Nick echoed as another Proof appeared above him and fell into his hands, this one being a glass sphere imprinted with the image of both Roxas and Xion's Kingdom Keys. "That's seven now."

"I want Axel to be proud of me," Hayate admitted, catching everybody's attention. "Despite everything he lied about, he still protected me. He gave up his _life_ for me. To me, that's the sign of a true friend."

"And, trust me on this one, Hayate, there's nothing better to have in life than a true friend," Maylin stated, turning around to hug Nick tightly. "Isn't that right, best buddy?"

"Damn skippy," Nick laughed even as Maylin kissed him on the cheek.

Nick glanced towards the skyscrapers in the distance, swearing he could see Strelitzia hopping along the rooftops.

 _Unchained... someone who's not bound by fate..._ Nick thought. _Maybe that's one of the reasons Invi was so interested in me, why she thought I was special... and why Strelitzia has so much faith in me. Well, then I'd better not let her down, huh?_

Nick glanced down at the keyblade in his free hand, having subconsciously switched it to Starlight, and suddenly noticed that the design of Starlight had changed drastically. The shaft now had an hourglass arc, joining to the now-wider rainguard with a silver segmentation and the teeth with a silver cage shape, the orb at the end of the shaft had been replaced by a crescent moon, the gold star at the teeth of the key was now overlaid upon a blue five-pointed star, producing a ten-pointed star, and the trail was now wider and hollow. The guard now bore a gold star filled with blue at the hilt, with silver and blue shooting star trails in either direction, and the keychain was now alternating links of silver and gold, with the clip being silver, and the token now filled in with a bright blue.

 _Now that I think about it, Strelitzia's Starlight looked different while we were in the past,_ Nick thought. _Maybe I didn't notice..._

Nick glanced back at Starlight before letting his mind wander. _What was I like back then? I only saw brief glimpses of me and my Anguis friends during the story... I wonder what kind of adventures we had..._

Nick knew, like everything else Strelitzia had told him, that the answers would come eventually. It was just a matter of time, after all.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Acrossing Two  
** _Strength:_ **21  
** _Magic:_ **15  
** _Ability:_ **Combo Boost  
** _Description:_ A keyblade representing two crossing hearts yearning to return to each other. A mighty weapon with great strength and long reach that increases the power of the combo finishing move relative to how many hits the combo contains.

* * *

On the next episode:

Maylin: Wow, Kat's really flying around and kicking Nevi face in!

Haruka: That's kinda her job as the Gravity Queen.

Marie: I don't know if she's ever faced the Unversed before, though, so let's go and help her out!

Maylin: Oh, hey, it's our old friend the Iron Imprisoner! HOW DO YOU KEEP COMING BACK FROM THE DEAD?!

Nick: And I think we've got another off-worlder to deal with, too.

Haruka: Hopefully this is the last one. The Dark Mother must be getting pretty ballsy if she's doing this.

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "Gravity Battle"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	21. Gravity Battle

"We're so close!" Maylin giggled as Nick placed the Proof of Connections next to the other Proofs. "I can practically _taste_ that Mark of Mastery now!"

"Don't forget, we've still got a couple more worlds to revisit, and then we've gotta find that Sora kid," Haruka answered, piloting the Gummi Ship towards Hekseville. "And god only knows what kind of trouble he's getting into."

"Hey, Nick?" Marie asked. "What exactly did Strelitzia tell you? You kinda zonked out after she disappeared."

"She was just telling me about my role in the past and why she knew me so well," Nick answered. "It's a long story, honestly."

"Well, go on and tell us, fearless leader!" Maylin laughed. "We're all ears for long stories!"

"Besides, I think it's gonna take a bit to get to Hekseville from here, so go ahead and regale us with your lost memories," Haruka teased.

Little did any of them know, Strelitzia was out in the Lanes Between, surfing on her fully-upgraded Starlight much like Ven's Keyblade Glider. As she watched the Gummi Ship fly towards Hekseville, she couldn't help but smile.

"I promise you, Nick, if ever you need me, simply call my name, and I'll be there," Strelitzia proclaimed. "That's what I promised myself, after all. I was given a second chance by you, and I _will not_ let that second chance be wasted."

Strelitzia closed her eyes and let her mind wander back to the moment that Ava had revealed to her that Strelitzia would eventually take her place as the leader of Vulpes, subconsciously touching the fox-shaped brooch on her shirt.

"I wonder... will the Unions ever rise again?" Strelitzia wondered.

One look at Nick told her that, yes, the once proud Unions would rise again someday to defend the worlds from the darkness that threatened the light.

But this time, they wouldn't succumb to fate.

They'd fight against it.

That was the lesson Nick had taught her all the time.

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Eden Riegel_ as **Marie Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae / Meiling Li  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** Kat is enjoying her time as the "Gravity Queen", Hekseville's newest superhero of sorts, but when she hears of a powerful monster attacking Auldnoir that might not actually be a Nevi, Nick and the girls decide to help Kat find and destroy the monster, all while encountering another "off-worlder" sent to this world by the Dark Mother's roots. Does the Dark Mother have a reason for doing this, even in her weakened state? And is the so-called "monster" actually a familiar foe, returned once again to torment our heroes?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **For Today's World:** Today, we're returning to Gravity Rush, set sometime after the game's chapter nine, "Letting Old Ghosts Die".

* * *

Episode 21: Gravity Battle

"It seems like things are quiet here," Haruka stated as the four of them walked into Auldnoir, searching for the specific manhole that would lead them to Kat's hideout.

"Yeah, but that could change at any moment," Maylin stated once they'd found the manhole they were looking for. "You know how it is for us keyblade wielders."

The screams of the locals caught their attention almost as soon as Maylin had finished speaking.

"Of course, the instant I say something, it happens," Maylin groaned as she summoned her keyblade. "I _really_ have to stop doing that..."

The group charged over to the nearby fountain plaza, where some of the residents of Auldnoir attempted to back away from the advance of two groups of enemies. One group consisted of a bunch of Nevi, and the other group consisted of a pack of rabbit-like Unversed with predominantly black skin, a wide lower body with a comparatively thin neck, a body without arms and two short spikes for legs, a large, round head with two long and floppy "ears" that ended in a wide fleur-de-lis, red eyes set in a sorrowful expression and the Unversed logo on its chest.

One of the Are Nevi attempted to pounce on a girl no older than Maylin, but Nick was over there in a flash, slicing upwards with Processor Unit to knock the Are into the air, followed by switching to Gravity Queen and slashing downwards to bisect the Are's core and destroy it.

At the same time, Maylin raised Counterpoint and cast a Thundaga spell to rain down lightning bolts on the Hareraisers, knowing she probably didn't want to get too close to them.

A different type of Nevi, one that resembled an octopus, floated through the air and lashed its tentacles out to snare a man in its grip before attempting to retreat with its victim.

"Oh, you can _forget it_!" Marie shouted, leaping into the air and using Dark Break to pogo jump off the Jiu enough times to force it to release its captive. Haruka dashed over to catch the man while Marie blasted the Jiu's core with a Dark Firaga.

"No grabby-grabby on _my_ watch, squid boy," Marie taunted as she landed gracefully on the ground.

At least five of the Hareraisers surrounded Nick, but he put an end to that quickly by smashing Gravity Queen downwards to create an Explosion around him that shredded the Hareraisers in the middle of their leap to attack him.

A couple minutes later, the entire enemy horde had been vanquished.

"Thanks you all so much for coming to our aid," one of the older men proclaimed.

"Hey, it's what we do," Maylin proudly proclaimed, resting Counterpoint on her shoulder.

"The Nevi haven't been too much trouble lately, have they?" Haruka asked.

"Not when we've got Kat the Gravity Queen on our side!" a young boy laughed.

"Sounds like Kat's gotten quite the reputation since the last time we've been here," Marie giggled. "Why don't we go and see how she's doing?"

Once the civilians had scattered back to whatever they were doing, the group retreated back to the manhole cover and slid it away so they could jump in, all of them surfing on their keyblades down the winding path until they eventually came out at the bottom near the Pipe House, as Kat chose to call it.

"That never gets old," Nick admitted even as the sight of Kat caught his attention. At the moment, she was wrapped in nothing but a towel, with a smaller towel tying her hair into a ponytail. She appeared to be washing herself after a previous encounter.

"Oh, hey, guys!" Kat quipped when she saw the keyblade wielders approaching her.

"We didn't catch you at a bad time, did we, Kat?" Maylin asked, referring to Kat's towel.

"Nah, just cleaning myself up," Kat replied. "I kinda got into a big scrap over in Endestria, the industrial district. Good news, though: Alias is officially no more!"

"Oh, you took that thief out?" Haruka wondered.

"Yup," Kat giggled. "He fused himself with some Nevi and made this big dragon thing, but I beat him out of it and dropped him into a trash compactor!"

" _Ouch_ ," Nick stated, shuddering slightly from _that_ particular image. "That is a nasty way to go, honestly."

"Honestly, it felt good to drop his smug face down there, even if I'd rather turn him in to the police," Kat stated.

"HEY, KAT!"

Kat looked up just in time to see Syd swinging on a rope towards her, only to slip off at the last second and fall butt-first into Kat's washtub.

"H-hey, what's the big idea?!" Kat quipped.

"Nothing insidious, I just wanted to show you something," Syd admitted. "Wow, nice place you've got. Guess I'm lucky I made it in one piece."

Syd handed the local newspaper to Kat so she could read it. A lot of articles were apparently about her and her recent triumph over Alias, including _"GRAVITY QUEEN VS. KING OF THIEVES: Kat scratches out Alias", "Master criminal Alias gone for good",_ and _"Hekseville's New Superhero! Kat claws into our hearts"_.

"Not bad, eh, 'Gravity Queen'?" Syd teased. "There's even rumblings in the force about pinning a medal on ya."

"Really?" Kat gasped. "You're not pulling my leg? Honestly, I'm not in it for the rewards, I'm just trying to help people. That's what a superhero's supposed to do, right?"

"Oh, by the way, I couldn't help but notice your... um, shall we say, 'lack of clothing," Syd stated, only for Kat to get right in his face.

"Watch it, buddy," Kat growled.

"Hey, relax, I'm just messing with you, silly," Syd responded, even though the act of Kat pushing him backwards caused her towel to fall off.

The instant Kat's towel dropped, the four keyblade wielders immediately slammed their eyes shut while Kat fought off Syd.

A few minutes passed in complete darkness until Kat gave a signal.

"Okay, you guys can open your eyes now."

When they did, Kat was back into her normal outfit, a garb she dubbed "Shifter 1.0". "Sorry about that," Kat quipped. "I know Syd means well, but sometimes he doesn't know how to take a hint."

"Why do you think we closed our own eyes until you gave us the all clear?" Maylin stated.

"I've been involved in a few misunderstandings in my life, but that might have been the one I couldn't live down," Nick teased.

"Well, now that you're here, did you guys wanna join me on a monster hunt?" Kat asked. "There's been rumors of a strange monster attacking the different towns here in Hekseville, but nobody knows what to do because, apparently, whatever this thing is, it's not a Nevi."

"Sounds like Heartless trouble," Marie quipped. "Guess it's a good thing we're here."

"Where was the last place this monster was spotted, Kat?" Nick asked.

"The last sighting was somewhere in Endestria," Kat stated. "Crap, I just got back from there, too..."

"Let's get going, then," Haruka replied. "You probably know the way better than us, so lead on, Gravity Queen!"

After climbing back up the sewer tunnel into Auldnoir, Kat led the keyblade wielders to the transit system that would transport people between Hekseville's different towns.

About halfway there, they were stopped in their tracks by another member of the Mushroom XIII.

"Okay, that's one of the weirder sights I've seen here," Kat quipped.

No. 8 opened a small dark portal underneath itself, then dove into it before popping out and flying for a few seconds before dropping back into the portal, stuck about halfway. It them mimed the numbers eight and five with its hands.

"And now it's playing pantomime," Kat stated.

"Translation, Nick?" Maylin asked.

"I think we've gotta yank it out of there, then keep attacking it so it stays in the air," Nick replied. "If it lands before we land at least eighty-five hits, we lose."

"Sounds like another Mushroom guy we ran into a long time ago," Haruka quipped.

"Okay, Kat, I think you and I are gonna be the best choice for this one," Nick stated. "Seeing as how you and I can both shift gravity."

"W-wait, you can do that, too?" Kat asked before it clicked.

Nick just nodded, walking up to Kat and gently placing his hand on her head as Maylin walked up to No. 8, ready to yank it out.

" _Harmonization Ready!"_ Nick shouted, a ring of silver light surrounding him and Kat before shattering. "All right, Maylin, yank it out and let's get it on!"

"You got it, fearless leader!" Maylin proclaimed, reaching down to grab No. 8 by the hands and wrest it out of the dark portal before tossing it into the air.

Nick and Kat immediately activated their Shifter powers, their bodies glowing red and green respectively, before diving up to the flying No. 8 and attacking it rapidly.

No. 8 was a tricky customer, however, as after every dozen or so hits, it would leap away from Nick and Kat, forcing Maylin to blast it back up into the air with a spell so Nick and Kat could continue shifting around and keep No. 8 airborne.

Despite this, Nick and Kat continued to bounce No. 8 around as much as they could.

When they finally landed eighty-five hits, No. 8 dove back to the ground quicker than Nick could attack it. Upon landing, No. 8 clapped its hands, threw some fireworks into the air, and handed off a cluster of Tranquility materials to Haruka before vanishing.

"All right, I'm just gonna say it now," Kat quipped. "Was that weird to any of you?"

The four keyblade wielders just shook their heads. After all the adventures they'd had, they'd all accepted that weird things were going to pop up around them for possibly their whole lives.

Just as the group was about to reach the transit station, someone jumped in front of them and swung their weapon. Nick instinctively summoned Gravity Queen to parry the attack before pushing the assailant backwards.

"Who's the wise guy now?!" Nick challenged.

It was a girl, about seventeen years old, with mid-length black hair with a single left-swept red highlight on her bangs, and blue eyes that had peculiar gear-shaped pupils with eight grooves around the edges.

"Interesting uniform she's got," Haruka quipped.

Maylin, however, was immediately on edge, considering she was the first to notice the large root wrapping around the girl's chest.

"Guys, we've got another possessed off-worlder here!" Maylin shouted, putting everyone else on their guard as well as the girl raised both of her hands, causing her uniform to glow brightly.

" _Life Fiber Synchronize: Kamui Senketsu!"_ Ryuko shouted, her whole body changing. Her hair became even more feathery and was accented with vibrant red undertones and horn-like clips. Senketsu's "eyes" extended into wing-shaped crests jutting out from Ryuko's shoulders and his upper and lower parts became into a black, skimpy suit of armor with red stripes. The top section of the armor covered Ryuko's neck, lower-jaw, arms, and upper breasts, and possessed a red, triangular ventilation grill centered on Ryuko's upper back. The top armor piece was connected to her skirt by three red suspenders (two in front, one in back), leaving everything between the underside of her breasts and her waist exposed. Her legs are also covered with thigh-height, high-heeled boots.

"Holy crap, did her uniform just turn her into an even bigger badass?!" Maylin shouted.

"Here she comes!" Marie exclaimed.

 **("Sirius" by Aoi Eir plays)**

Ryuko reached down to take something off of her belt and allow it to enlarge into her Scissor Blade before charging, her blade clashing with Nick's own keyblade.

"Oh, we're gonna play _that_ game, aren't we?!" Nick proclaimed, switching to Psychic Punch and striking at Ryuko again.

"Oh, blow it out of the slim end, you bitch!" Ryuko shot back. "I thought I told you to go to hell, Nui!"

"W-wait, who's Nui?" Nick wondered. However, this moment of confusion cost him, as Ryuko leaped into the air and, after summoning _another_ Scissor Blade to her free hand, slashed both blades downwards, knocking Nick for a loop.

"Hold on, we've never even met this chick before!" Maylin exclaimed, firing off a Thunder spell to push Ryuko away before rushing over to Nick and healing him with Cura. "Why does she keep calling you that?!"

"Maybe the root's causing her to see you as one of her enemies," Haruka replied as she helped Nick to his feet. "But back to business, if she's gonna dual-wield, I think we should, too."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Nick quipped, reaching out to hold Haruka's free hand so they could unite into Valor Form, dual wielding Psychic Punch and Rumbling Rose.

Ryuko took a step back out of shock before quickly composing herself.

"Don't act like another weapon's gonna stop me!" Ryuko shouted. "I've had it up to _here_ with your shit, Nui!"

"I'm not even gonna respond to that," Valor Form Nick sighed as he raised both keyblades and met Ryuko in a head-on, clashing multiple times with her Scissor Blades.

Ryuko aimed a forward stab, only for Valor Form Nick to raise Psychic Punch and parry the strike, giving him ample time to blast Ryuko into the air with a Valor Shot.

"Snap _out_ of it, lady!" Valor Form Nick shouted, landing back on the ground before propelling himself back into the air. When he arrived at Ryuko's level, he stared into her defiant expression for a second before unleashing a Sonic End on Ryuko's body, specifically aimed at the root constricting her chest.

Before Ryuko could recover, Valor Form Nick immediately followed up with a Spiral Strike directly to the center of the root, finally doing the needed damage and severing the root. Maylin fired a Thunder spell to incinerate the remains of the root before it could possibly reform.

"There we go," Valor Form Nick quipped before landing on the ground.

"Ugh... damn, my head hurts," Ryuko stated. "Senketsu, what the hell just happened?"

"I'm honestly not sure, Ryuko," Senketsu responded. "The last thing I remember was seeing a flash of darkness, and now..."

"Hold up, is your uniform _talking_?!" Kat exclaimed.

"Like I said, Kat, weird stuff is just normal to us," Nick quipped.

"Wait, where _is_ everybody?!" Ryuko exclaimed. "I could have sworn we were all still partying on the Naked Sun!"

"Well, long story short, this sealed evil called the Dark Mother ripped you from your world for reasons we're still trying to decipher," Nick responded. "You were possessed by one of her roots, and you must have thought I was one of your enemies or something."

"Is there any way I can get back?" Ryuko asked. "My friends kinda need me."

"That's the thing, Ryuko, we don't have that power," Maylin answered. "We know someone who does, but that place is kinda out of our call zone at the moment, if you know what I mean."

"The one who _can_ send us home is currently unavailable to you, right?" Senketsu summarized.

"Pretty much," Haruka replied. "We've just got a couple more stops to make, just to make sure there aren't any more 'off-worlders', and then we'll come pick you and the others up so we can send you all home where you belong."

"So, does that mean I've gotta stay here until then?" Ryuko quipped.

"Sadly," Marie answered.

"Just... try to make it quick, okay?" Ryuko stated as she released her synchronization and let Senketsu return to normal. "I've still got a psychotic mother who needs to be taught a lesson."

Ryuko was about to turn around and explore the city, only for something to fall out of Senketsu and clatter to the ground.

"Hey, what's this?" Ryuko asked. "Did you snatch it on the way here, Senketsu?"

"I have no idea what this thing is," Senketsu admitted. "It looks like... a charm."

"Hey, I think that's another summon charm!" Maylin exclaimed, dashing over to retrieve the summon charm in question, shaped like the others but imprinted with the shape of a winged heart.

"We've been finding a lot of these lately, huh?" Haruka quipped.

"Wait, 'summon charm'?" Ryuko asked. "You can actually call someone from those charms? ...then again, is it any stranger than talking sailor uniforms? No offense, Senketsu."

"None taken," Senketsu replied. If he had a face like this, he'd definitely be grinning.

As Ryuko walked into the city to kill some time by exploring the city, the rest of the group hopped on the transit bus that would fly them over to Endestria.

"Man, you guys seem to get into all sorts of trouble, don't you?" Kat quipped.

"Oh, Kat, my dear, you have _no idea_ ," Maylin groaned. "Trouble _always_ seems to find us."

"It's like I said," Haruka giggled. "Such is the life of a keyblade wielder."

Nick turned around to keep watch at the front of the transit bus just in case any Heartless decided to ambush them, only to notice yet another member of the Mushroom XIII standing there.

"Where did _you_ come from?!" Maylin shouted, immediately summoning Spellbinder to her hands.

No. 10 bounced around a few times before splitting into five clones ("how many of these things have clone powers?!" Maylin exclaimed) before one of them bobbed up and down while the others stayed still. The real No. 10 mimed two fives with its hands.

"Okay, what's this one's gimmick?" Kat asked.

"I think we've gotta attack the one that bobbles and not the others," Nick stated. "And we've got about fifty-five seconds to trash it."

"Hey, doesn't that kinda remind you of that Black Ballade thing we fought way back in Traverse Town?" Haruka quipped.

No. 10 and its clones all piled together and spun around before spreading out into a straight line. Nick watched carefully for the one that would bobble, then when he spotted it at the far right, he moved in and summoned Gravity Queen to lay an aerial beatdown on No. 10, finishing off with a Hurricane Period that shoved No. 10 back.

The clones all reconvened to shuffle themselves again, and the process began anew.

After a few more rounds of this, Nick struck No. 10 with a Stride Break, causing it to fly backwards and bounce off the nearby door before picking itself up and hopping up and down.

"Time!" Nick exclaimed.

"Forty-seven seconds," Marie answered. "Mission accomplished, big bro!"

No. 10 dismissed its clones before waddling over and handing off a cluster of Tranquility materials to Haruka before vanishing.

"How many more do we have?" Haruka asked.

"Just four more, I think," Maylin replied, counting off the Mushroom XIII members they'd already beaten. "Makes me wonder what's waiting for us at the end of this strange string of challenges..."

At long last, the transit bus parked in Endestria, Hekseville's industrial district, allowing the group to disembark and begin their hunt for the strange monster that was apparently terrorizing the area.

And no sooner did Kat step off the transit bus was she mobbed by a group of panicked citizens.

"Oh, praise the gods, the Gravity Queen has come to save us!" a woman exclaimed.

"Whoa, whoa, what's going on?" Kat gasped. "Is that monster here already?"

"Yes, it's destroying one of the factories as we speak!" a middle-aged man proclaimed.

"Then I guess it's a good thing we're here," Nick quipped. "All right, Gravity Queen, lead the way so we can put this thing down!"

Nothing more needed to be said as Kat dashed through the streets of Endestria, simply following the sounds of rumblings and explosions to track the monster in question and occasionally stop to mow down some Heartless and Nobodies that were harassing citizens.

In one case, a young couple was suddenly surrounded by a bunch of Savages and Vikings when the group approached.

"Oh, man, not _these_ annoying things!" Maylin growled, already switching over to Stormfall to activate her Style Change.

"Hey, if you wanna get rid of these things, how about we bring out our new buddy and have him-slash-her waste them?" Nick quipped.

"Best idea I've heard today," Haruka laughed. "All right, fearless leader, let 'er rip!"

Nick raised the Heart Charm above him and began to channel its power, making Maylin, Haruka, and Marie vanish completely.

 **("Yume Mireba Yume mo Yume ja Nai" by Chisa Yokoyama & Etsuko Kozakura plays)**

As the Heart Charm floated down to in front of him, Nick raised his keyblade and drew a heart symbol around the charm. Said heart began to spiral around the charm before Nick thrust his keyblade to the sky, unleashing beams of pink light that converged on the charm to release his newest ally.

She appeared to be no older than eleven, with teal hair tied into two long ponytails by cherry-shaped red beads, melon pink eyes, and a very frilly pink and gold outfit that apparently marked her as a magical girl of sorts. In her right hand was a long magical baton with a letter tied to it and ending in a heart-shaped mirror.

Pretty Sammy immediately twirled her baton to do a classic magical girl pose, only for one of the Savages to leap at her, forcing her to dodge the strike. "Hey, no attacking when I'm posing!" Pretty Sammy shouted.

 _Oh, that's where it came from,_ Nick thought even as he raised Dimension Tripper for the fight.

The same Savage reoriented itself and leaped again, but Pretty Sammy was ready this time, swinging her baton out to meet the Savage and clout it across the head, sending it flying into the nearby wall.

One of the Vikings marched in to attack, only for Pretty Sammy to leap over it, then land on the ground a few feet away and toss her baton like a boomerang. The spinning baton pinged off of the Viking a few times before destroying it and returning to Pretty Sammy's hands.

Impressed as he was, Nick was unable to notice a Viking on the move until it was too late, the bulky Nobody slashing its axe across Nick's back and causing him to crash to the ground.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that," Nick quipped, ready to bust out a healing spell, only to find that the wound had completely disappeared. As he picked himself up, he noticed that his entire body was surrounded by a soft pink light.

"Oh, so she must keep healing me as long as she's out," Nick realized. "Good to know."

As a pair of Savages approached, Pretty Sammy swung her baton and cast Pretty Storm, bombarding the Savages with a flurry of energy hearts. Meanwhile, Nick leapfrogged over Pretty Sammy to bisect the Viking that had sniped him with an overhead slash from Dimension Tripper.

Nonetheless, there were still many Vikings and Savages remaining.

"Um, yeah, I don't feel like dealing with these nuts today," Nick quipped. "You wanna finish this fight, Sasami?"

"I'd be delighted," Pretty Sammy replied, not at all surprised that Nick knew who she was.

As the Nobodies approached, Nick and Pretty Sammy leapt into the air, both clutching the handle of Pretty Sammy's baton, which extended a pair of angel wings from the heart-shaped mirror on its tip.

A field of energy hearts began to flow into Pretty Sammy's baton as the two of them prepared for the finishing blow.

" _May love prevail!"_ Pretty Sammy shouted.

" _May evil be driven away!"_ Nick shouted.

" _Pretty Coquettish Bomber!"_ Nick and Pretty Sammy exclaimed, bringing the baton down and unleashing a gigantic heart-shaped blast that enveloped the horde of Nobodies before exploding into a shower of hearts, the explosion wiping out every last Nobody it had touched.

As hearts rained down on the battlefield, Nick and Pretty Sammy landed gracefully on the ground.

"And that's how it's done," Nick quipped.

Pretty Sammy twirled her baton before giving Nick a high five and performing the pose she had meant to do earlier before vanishing, returned to her charm.

When the flash of pink light cleared, Nick had easily noticed that a small token fell to the ground where Pretty Sammy had just been.

Out of curiosity, Nick scooped up the token, which resembled the summon charms he used, and attached it to Dimension Tripper, causing it to transform into a new keyblade that seemed to be comprised of random elements of all the allies Nick could summon through his charms. The hilt resembled Ochako's helmet, the handle guard was Tiki's Manakete wings ending in the symbols of the Sega Hard Girls, the handle and blade of the weapon was a perfect replica of Emi's sword, Better Half, the teeth were golden versions of Makoto's cross-shaped tonfas, and the tip of the blade was topped off by the heart-shaped mirror on Pretty Sammy's baton. Almost predictably, the words _Summon Charm_ came to Nick's mind as he studied the new weapon.

"Pretty slick keyblade," Maylin admitted once the three girls had returned to the battlefield.

"I'm willing to bet that means that was the last of the summon charms that got scattered," Nick quipped.

"Thank you so much for saving us from those beasts," the woman stated once the area was calm again.

"Are you all going to help the Gravity Queen take down the monster that's been terrorizing the city?" the man asked.

"That's the idea," Haruka teased, balancing Divine Rose on her shoulder.

"You two should probably get somewhere safe before that thing decides to come knocking," Marie proclaimed. "We'll take things from here."

The couple didn't need to be told twice, dashing off down the nearby alleyway to join their fellow Endestrians in escaping while they could.

Just a few more blocks and the group finally came upon the factory in question, where a large monster wielding a fiery hammer was swinging said weapon to absolutely demolish the factory.

"Yeah, I think that's the one," Kat quipped.

The monster in question stopped its rampage and floated out of the shadows of the factory's wreckage, revealing itself as a very familiar foe to the keyblade wielders.

"Oh, dear lord, not _you_ again!" Maylin shouted.

Indeed, the Iron Imprisoner had returned for a third round. This time, however, the stubborn Unversed was free of its gibbet, exposing its grey legs. Both of its feet sported black bands with blue highlights on them, its collar was much smaller and the grey breastplate it wore was now clearly visible, and its hammer had also filled out.

"How many times do we have to roast you extra crispy, you son of a bitch?!" Maylin exclaimed, immediately juking to the right while launching rapid Firaga bursts at the Iron Imprisoner.

"You've fought this thing before?" Kat asked as she shifted to just above the Iron Imprisoner to get a good vantage point, only for the Iron Imprisoner to start creating a fire tornado around itself. The Unversed then started spinning around while engulfed in the flames, occasionally leaping around and forcing Kat to dive away to avoid getting burned.

"This stubborn Unversed just keeps coming back for some reason," Marie responded, blasting the Iron Imprisoner in the face with a Dark Firaga, then dive-rolling away to avoid getting trapped in its fiery cage.

"HOW?!" Maylin shouted, still pelting the Iron Imprisoner with Fire spells of all kinds as it stopped to melt itself into the ground. "I mean, the first time, Peashy _punched a hole through its gut_ , and the second time, I _incinerated_ itwith a super spell! HOW DOES IT KEEP COMING BACK?!"

In her ranting, Maylin didn't notice the ground below her turning bright red and cracking. Nick dashed over as fast as his legs could carry him, making it just in time to shove Maylin backwards and away from the attack, only to get ravaged himself as the Iron Imprisoner erupted from the ground, concussive bursts of fire surrounding it and sending Nick flying into the air.

"Easy, I gotcha," Kat quipped, shifting forward to catch Nick. "You all right?"

"Just thanking my lucky stars that my magical outfit gives me some really nice defenses," Nick admitted. "Otherwise, that probably would have toasted me for sure."

Nick raised Summon Charm to cast Curaga on himself before glancing back down at the Iron Imprisoner, who was swinging its hammer in wide, sweeping attacks towards a rapidly dodging Marie, destroying more of the factory in the process.

"I think we need to put this thing down pretty quickly, maybe like _now_ ," Nick proclaimed.

"You up for a combo, then?" Kat laughed.

"You must be a mind reader, too," Nick teased before putting his hand on Kat's head. _"Harmonization Ready!"_

The Iron Imprisoner continued to swing its hammer, adding a few upward swings before slamming it back down, creating a fiery shockwave that forced the group to scatter to avoid it.

"Um, I think we need to step it up," Maylin growled, continuing to bombard the Iron Imprisoner with Fire attacks. "There's not much of the factory left!"

"Then let us take care of it for you!" Nick and Kat shouted, joining hands to prepare for their attack. Their bodies began glowing bright green and bright red, respectively, as they began to dive towards the Iron Imprisoner, their bodies spinning rapidly to form a javelin shape.

The Iron Imprisoner prepared to swing its hammer to parry the attack, but Nick and Kat were diving far too fast for it to avoid them, and the Dual Spiraling Claw pierced through its chest with much pageantry and a couple explosions, leaving Nick and Kat floating on the other side.

The Iron Imprisoner collapsed to its knees, dropping its hammer in the process.

"Yeah, third time's _not_ the charm for you," Maylin taunted.

Despite this, the Iron Imprisoner stubbornly refused to die, reaching out for its hammer.

"You have a _hole in your goddamn stomach!_ WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!" Maylin screamed, ready to just say "screw it" and roast the Iron Imprisoner with another super spell.

However, Haruka beat Maylin to the punch, dashing into the fray and slashing Divine Rose across the Iron Imprisoner's chest. That did the trick, the Iron Imprisoner falling flat on its face and dissolving into nothingness.

"Now stay down, buddy," Haruka quipped.

"Aw, come on, Haruka, I was just about to roast it! Why'd you kill-steal?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"It's been _far_ too long since I got to deal the finishing blow on a boss, if you know what I mean," Haruka answered. "Besides, I figured I'd help you out so you didn't have to complain about mister stubborn again."

"...point," Maylin conceded, dismissing her keyblade for the moment.

"Whew, that was pretty nuts," Kat sighed as she landed on the ground and stopped glowing. "Too bad we couldn't really save the factory..."

"Hey, I'm sure they'd rather rebuild a place than have to mourn lost loved ones," Haruka answered. "Buildings and history can be replaced. Lives can't."

"Hey, Kat, what just happened?!" Syd exclaimed, having just arrived with the police force behind him. "Was the monster sighted?"

"Yup, and now he's extra crispy," Maylin quipped. "Just another troublemaking Unversed who doesn't want to stay dead. Hopefully this time it'll take the hint."

"Man, we're always a step too far away, aren't we?" Bulbosa groaned.

"Well, hunting the Heartless and Unversed and whatever other eldritch horrors try to overrun the place is kinda our job," Marie quipped.

"How about you guys go calm down the panicking peoples by telling them that we roasted the monster?" Maylin stated. "That'll help out quite a bit."

The police did just that, with Syd leading the way, leaving the rest of the group to gather their bearings.

"One more monster vanquished," Nick quipped. "Seems like this town's really taking a shine to you, Kat."

"Well, I'm a superhero, after all," Kat giggled. "It's my duty to keep the peace around here. It's like I said to Syd, I'm not in it for the medals or the fame. I'm just doing it because... well, a superhero helps the people."

Kat looked up to the sky of Endestria, gasping in shock when she noticed a very particular crow flying through the air, apparently heading back towards Auldnoir.

"Oh, crap, I think that was Raven!" Kat exclaimed. "You guys can handle yourselves, right? I've gotta go after her."

"By all means, break some legs," Maylin teased as Kat gave one final wave to the keyblade wielders before dashing off in pursuit of Raven.

"Well, it looks like we're getting close to the end of this adventure of ours," Haruka noted as yet another Proof materialized in Nick's hand, this one being a small glass sphere imprinted with what looked like Dusty.

"Yeah, we've only got one more world to re-visit, I think," Maylin quipped.

"Wait, aren't there supposed to be ten Proofs we need?" Marie asked. "After the next world, that'd only be nine, right?"

"Wait, though, sis, remember that we've also gotta make a return trip to the Blue Sky Kingdom, too," Nick responded. "Besides all of the villains skulking around, I'm pretty sure that XANA's still causing trouble in Lyoko."

"Oh, crap, I almost completely forgot about that freak," Marie gasped. "I really hope Aelita and the others are doing okay..."

"Well, then let's head to the Gummi Ship and take care of this last world so we can go check on the gang," Maylin stated. "And let's not forget, we _still_ have to find Sora and _his_ friends!"

"What exactly are they doing?" Haruka wondered as she activated the teleporters. "Does anyone have any idea how they're hopping between dimensions?"

"Let's worry about that when we get there," Nick quipped. "I'm sure things are about to come to a head."

Meanwhile, somewhere deep in the Iridescent Abyss, Future Lily could be seen watching the group's exploits through a vision portal, smirking wickedly.

"Oh, you have no idea, brat," Future Lily laughed.

A corridor of darkness opened a few feet away from Future Lily, and out stepped Marluxia, the Graceful Assassin, already clutching the Graceful Dahlia in his hands. Future Lily didn't have to turn around to know that he was itching for a fight.

"I'm willing to guess that the keyblade whelps are on the move again?" Marluxia asked.

"Nothing gets by you, I see," Future Lily quipped. "I want you to head off to that vampire girl's mansion and intercept them there. Stall them for as long as you can, even if it kills you again. I still need a little time to make my own move."

"Understood," Marluxia answered before walking back into the corridor of darkness.

As the corridor vanished, Future Lily summoned No Name and stared at her reflection in it.

 _Why is what he said only getting to me_ _ **now**_ _, despite everything?_ Future Lily thought, reminiscing on the words Nick had said to her on top of Grima.

" _How about you stop lying to yourself, Lily?"_

" _Is this really what you want?"_

" _Didn't you hear what Blake said to you?! You're taking it out on billions and_ _ **billions**_ _of people, multiple worlds, who had absolutely_ _ **nothing**_ _to do with what happened to you. How is that fair to all the people who gave their lives for your world?!"_

" _That means I have to look out for my 'little girl', shall we say."_

Future Lily wasn't sure what to feel about what she'd heard.

After all, her father had taught her to never inflict unneeded pain on others, no matter how much they deserved it.

But... wasn't that _exactly_ what she was doing?

Despite the wicked face she put on when she last confronted her other-dimensional father and his friends, despite what they thought, she knew _exactly_ what she was doing was wrong.

Even still, she felt it was far too late for her to turn back now.

Everyone she ever knew and loved was gone, lost to the darkness, never to return.

She literally had nowhere to go back to.

And that thought, more than anything else, made Future Lily want to cry.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New summon acquired!_

 **Pretty Sammy, the Champion of Juraihelm  
** _Drive Gauge Points Needed:_ **5  
** _Purpose:_ Unleash strong AOE magical attacks and charm enemies to make them docile and easier to deal with. As long as Pretty Sammy is out, she will constantly heal Nick every eight seconds, and if Nick is KO'ed, she will revive Nick to full health once per summon.  
 _Limit Attack:_ **Pretty Storm** , where Pretty Sammy surrounds herself with hearts before firing them off at enemies, with a 50% chance of charming them.  
 _Charge Gauge_ : For every Heartless or Nobody killed, the Charge Gauge fills 1/6th. For every Unversed killed, the Charge Gauge fills 1/3rd. The higher the Charge Gauge, the longer enemies will stay charmed. A full Charge Gauge allows usage of Pretty Sammy's finishing move.  
 _Finishing Move:_ **Pretty Coquettish Bomber** , where Nick and Pretty Sammy leap into the air to bombard the battlefield with a gigantic energy heart that explodes when it hits the ground to do massive damage to all enemies caught in the blast.

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Summon Charm  
** _Strength:_ **15  
** _Magic:_ **25  
** _Ability:_ **Hi-Summon Boost  
** _Description:_ A keyblade representing the allies Nick has gathered to fight alongside him. A weapon with great strength and fantastic magic that extends the time a summon can be used by 75%. Equip more to increase the effect.

* * *

On the next episode:

Nick: We're almost done, everybody!

Maylin: Just two more worlds to visit, and we'll have all our Proofs!

Haruka: Then we can go find Sora, and then hopefully end this madness.

Marie: Hey, Flandre, what're ya drawing?

Flandre: More of that funny boy I keep seeing!

Nick: Wait, Sora's been here again?! Flandre, where did you see him? We're actually trying to find him.

Flandre: Last I saw him, he was heading into the library. Just make sure he doesn't take any books. Patchy's still mad after what Marisa did last time you were here!

Nick: I'd be, too, if I loved books as much as she did. Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "Everything and Nothing"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	22. Everything and Nothing

"Here's hoping things have calmed down over there," Marie quipped as the Gummi Ship approached the Scarlet Devil Mansion. "I'm sure Remilia and miss guard lady are pretty on edge after what happened last time."

"By the way, I've been wondering this ever since we freed Terra," Maylin wondered. "Where exactly _are_ those guys?! I don't think we've heard hide nor hair of them since we busted Terra out of his possessed armor!"

"Didn't you say that right after we started our exam?" Haruka quipped.

"I know, but considering we're getting close to the _end_ of our exam, I felt it warranted another ask," Maylin quipped.

"They're probably fighting the Heartless in other worlds that we haven't been to," Nick stated. "I'm certain they've been to all kinds of worlds that we've _never_ been able to experience."

"And considering they're also probably brainstorming ways to find the keyhole for the Land of Departure so they can restore it," Marie quipped.

"Wouldn't it be as simple as... you know, _finding_ the keyhole?" Haruka asked.

"Now that you mention it, I actually remember Aqua telling me one time that only a Keyblade Master can find the keyhole," Maylin stated. "That used to be Master Eraqus' job until the Land of Departure got swallowed by darkness."

"So, if we find Aqua before all of this is over, maybe we should escort her back there so she can help us find the keyhole," Haruka replied.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Maylin giggled.

"Scarlet Devil Mansion dead ahead!" Marie exclaimed.

"All right, let's go see what the vampire flock is up to," Haruka stated. "Prepare for landing, everybody!"

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Eden Riegel_ as **Marie Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae / Meiling Li  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** Upon returning to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the group is once again roped into a strange anomaly in the mansion itself, though according to Flandre, it may have something to do with Sora. Determined to find the other-dimensional keyblade wielder before something goes wrong, our own keyblade wielders team up with Flandre to explore the mansion and find Sora, hopefully without bumping into yet another member of Organization XIII on the way...

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **For Today's World:** This is the last filler chapter, folks! Today we're returning to Touhou Project, specifically to the Scarlet Devil Mansion where Remilia resides.

* * *

Episode 22: Everything and Nothing

Nick, understandably, was on edge as the group walked into the Scarlet Devil Mansion (with permission from Meiling, of course). After all, he still vividly remembered how close Remilia had been to munching on him the last time they'd been here.

Even though he kept telling himself that Remilia was firmly on their side, and had only been wary of keyblade wielders because of what Terra had done while still under the thrall of darkness, it was still enough to rattle Nick.

Marie walked a little faster so she was right by Nick's side, and let her hand rest on Nick's shoulder. She knew what he was probably thinking, having personally knocked Remilia around with her dark powers for daring to think about turning her big brother into a vampire.

Upon stepping into the lobby, the group was surprised to see no one there to greet them.

"Huh," Nick quipped. "That's odd."

"Yeah, where is everybody?" Haruka wondered.

"Oh, Remilia and Sakuya are currently unavailable at the moment."

Nick followed the voice to the left-most stairway at the opposite end of the lobby, where he saw Patchouli standing there, casually flipping through one of her sketchbooks.

"Apparently, some devious youkai managed to steal the moon," Patchouli explained. "And Lady Remilia and Lady Sakuya have left to take care of the culprit."

"Wait, someone _stole the moon_?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"These kind of incidents happen a lot around here," Patchouli stated.

"And I thought the crap _we've_ seen was strange enough," Haruka laughed.

"Do not worry, as it seems the incident has been resolved, and they will return momentarily," Patchouli answered. "So, what brings you back to the mansion? It has not been very long since we last saw you."

"Simply put, we're coming back to all the worlds we've visited as part of our Mark of Mastery Exam, and we've got reason to believe that a member of Organization XIII may or may not be lurking somewhere in the mansion," Nick explained.

"I assume that when you speak of Organization XIII, you speak of a ruffian in a black coat?" Patchouli asked.

"The one and the same," Maylin groaned.

"Has he caused any damage?" Haruka wondered.

"None as of yet," Patchouli responded. "From what I have seen of this intruder, he merely seems to be searching for something, as opposed to whatever that armored annoyance was doing."

"Well, I guess we've gotta go stomp him," Nick stated. "Where did you last see him, Patchouli?"

"I recently saw him heading into the basement, no doubt due to Lady Flandre and her immense power," Patchouli responded. "You must head him off with all haste."

"That's kinda why we're here," Maylin teased.

Once they'd set off to find their target, it naturally wasn't long until they encountered another member of the Mushroom XIII, which was waiting in the basement lobby with a large number 99 floating above its head.

"Guess I shouldn't be surprised," Marie quipped. "What's this one's gimmick, big bro?"

No. 11 pointed to the number above it, then flailed its arms rapidly before miming a countdown.

"Well, according to shroom dude, we have to reduce that number above it to zero by constantly attacking it," Nick explained. "And I think we've gotta do it in about nineteen seconds to satisfy it."

"What's the game plan, then?" Haruka asked.

"I'm gonna bank on Wisdom Form for this one," Nick stated. "What do you say, Maylin? Wanna knock this thing out?"

"I'd be delighted!" Maylin giggled, throwing herself into Nick's arms so they could unite into Wisdom Form, dual-wielding Summon Charm and Fairy Stars.

"All right, fungus boy, let's rumble!" Wisdom Form Nick shouted, raising both of his keyblades and firing off magical bullets non-stop at No. 11. Each bullet dropped the number by one point, but with so many rapid bullets, the number fell rather quickly, as it also did when he used his finisher, a swift barrage of magic bullets. That was why Nick had chosen Wisdom Form for this challenge.

Once the counter finally ticked down to zero, No. 11 leaped into the air and tossed fireworks, which meant they had cleared this latest challenge.

"Time!" Wisdom Form Nick exclaimed.

"Fifteen seconds!" Marie responded. "Nice work, you guys!"

No. 11 dropped a cluster of Tranquility materials and disappeared just as Wisdom Form Nick separated into Nick and Maylin.

"We should be able to make some pretty badass stuff with all these materials once we get back to the Blue Sky Kingdom," Haruka quipped. "Ooh, I can't wait."

"Let's find the Organization peep before we indulge in synthesis dreams, okay?" Maylin teased.

As the group continued to make their way towards the basement, Nick suddenly began hearing strange noises. It sounded like some strange, otherworldly force was opening and closing holes in the fabric of reality, as weird as it sounded to him.

When they were standing in front of the door to Flandre's room, Nick glanced around the corner wall, having seen something that caught his eye, only to once again see Sora, Donald and Goofy dashing like mad through another pair of dimensional portals.

"Aw, dang it, we missed him again," Maylin groaned.

"Why does he keep jumping between portals?" Haruka wondered. "Is there something wrong with the Veil?"

"I wouldn't rule that out, considering everything that's been happening since we started this adventure," Marie admitted. "Hopefully we can catch him sooner or later."

"Oh, hey, you guys! You still looking for that boy?"

The group turned around in their spot to see Flandre peeking out from the doorway to her room, a bright smile on her face.

"Yeah, but we just missed him," Nick quipped. "It's the last task of our Mark of Mastery Exam."

"What's a Mark of Mastery?" Flandre asked.

"It means that the next time you see us, Flandre, we're all gonna be Keyblade Masters!" Maylin proclaimed, proudly holding Spellbinder up in a victory pose.

"Oh, does that mean you're gonna get even stronger?" Flandre asked. "Maybe as strong as big sis?"

"We'll just have to wait and see, huh?" Haruka responded.

"Has Sora been showing up recently?" Marie asked, getting right to the heart of the matter.

"It's so weird," Flandre stated as she let the keyblade wielders into her room. More drawings of Sora, Donald and Goofy were now lining the walls, many of them depicting Sora performing some kind of special attack against a different Heartless.

Many of those attacks resembled Nick's own special attacks, only a little wilder and more uncoordinated.

 _Guess he really is a different version of me in some ways,_ Nick thought.

"He keeps going through the same portals and he only stays for a few seconds," Flandre continued. "Where exactly is he going?"

"All we know for sure is that he keeps portal-hopping because he's trying to find his way home," Maylin replied. "We're actually trying to find him so we can take him back to our Oracle, who has the power to send him home."

"Oh!" Flandre gasped, dashing over to retrieve a picture from her wall, that of a member of Organization XIII with long, rose-pink hair and blue eyes, and carrying a long and sharp scythe. "Maybe he's also trying to beat this bad guy? He's been showing up in the mansion lately, too, like that armor guy did last time."

"Yeah, Patchouli said she'd seen that guy sneaking around down here," Nick groaned. "What's he looking for?"

"Maybe he's just being a big meanie," Flandre growled. "If I find him, he's gonna be _so sorry_ for messing with my big sister!"

"Maybe that means we should go find that guy and knock his block off before he causes any more trouble," Maylin quipped. "I'm pretty sure Remilia would _not_ be happy to find her mansion in shambles again."

Even when the group began to set out to find their target, Nick quickly turned back to Flandre, surprised she hadn't joined them.

"You're not coming with us, Flandre?" Nick asked.

"Remilia... big sis said I'm not supposed to leave my room unless it's a very serious situation," Flandre admitted.

"Um, Flandre, I'd say this qualifies as serious," Haruka answered. "Organization XIII is bad news."

"And besides, didn't you say you wanted to deliver some lumps to these bad guys who've been causing your sister so much pain?" Maylin stated.

"If it's because of your power, I assure you, you're safe with us," Nick proclaimed. "Now come on, let's go tear this guy a new one."

In response, Flandre could do naught but smile. "Okay!"

With Flandre at their side, the keyblade wielders returned up the stairway and through the library, with no sign of Patchouli in sight.

"Where's Patchy?" Flandre asked.

"Probably trying to find the intruder, same as us," Maylin quipped.

"Maybe she's looking for these funny mushroom things?" Flandre wondered, pointing towards the center of the main lobby of the library, where yet another member of the Mushroom XIII was standing in wait.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Maylin exclaimed, summoning Counterpoint to her hands. "How many of you things are we gonna have to stomp?!"

"I think we're getting close," Haruka admitted. "There should only be three of them left, counting this guy."

"What's the plan of action on this one, big bro?" Marie asked.

Nick glanced back at No. 7, who mimed a ten with its fingers before swinging its right hand really hard, as if trying to knock something away.

"I think we've gotta beat it in ten seconds, and if it touches us, well, we're going flying," Nick translated. "What do you girls think would work well for this challenge?"

"Those conditions probably mean we have to deal a _lot_ of damage in a hurry without getting too close," Haruka stated. "You and Maylin are the magic masters, so I think Wisdom Form would work best."

"We seem to giving Wisdom Form one heck of a workout lately, huh?" Maylin giggled. "But if it means another chance to rain down magical doom, I'm all for it! Let's throw down, Nick!"

"My thoughts exactly," Nick laughed as Maylin threw herself into his arms, allowing them to unite into Wisdom Form, dual wielding Scarlet Witch and Counterpoint.

Wisdom Form Nick gestured to No. 7, who began waddling towards him and swinging its arms. Wisdom Form Nick began gliding away from it and rapid-firing magic spells one after another.

For the finisher, Wisdom Form Nick raised both of his keyblades and double-cast Thundaga, dropping at least a hundred lightning bolts down onto No. 7 at once. This barrage caused No. 7 to fall to the ground.

"Time!" Wisdom Form Nick exclaimed.

"Eight seconds!" Marie responded. "Victory!"

No. 7 picked itself up and tossed a group of Tranquility materials to Haruka before vanishing almost as quickly as it had appeared.

"Not much longer before we can see what their deal is," Haruka quipped, stuffing the materials into her pocket.

"You do a lot of interesting stuff, don't you?" Flandre asked, curiously staring at Nick's keyblade.

"Eh, such is the life of a keyblade wielder," Nick admitted.

"Do you... do you think your quest thingy will ever be over?" Flandre wondered.

"Honestly, Flandre, I have no clue," Nick stated, glancing down at Scarlet Witch. "But, I guess... as long as the keyblade stays with me... I'm gonna have to keep on fighting."

"Isn't it hard?" Flandre asked.

"Well... it helps when you have a bunch of great friends by your side," Nick proclaimed, knowing Maylin and Haruka were smiling at him. "My friends are my power, after all."

Flandre thought for a couple seconds, then walked up and hugged Nick. "Am I... am I one of those friends?" Flandre asked.

Nick had quickly realized that Flandre must be very lonely due to being isolated in the Scarlet Devil Mansion for so long, and he knew how much it must have hurt. Nick always said that he would never wish to inflict the pain of loneliness on anyone, not even his worst enemies.

It was one of the reasons he sympathized with Future Lily, despite her intentions.

Nick smiled and patted Flandre on the head. "Of course you are, silly," Nick laughed.

Flandre smiled brightly, only for her to instantly put her guard up when the entire group heard the sounds of clashing blades and karate yells coming from a few floors above them.

"Sounds like trouble," Nick quipped. "Let's beat it up there, _stat_!"

The group made their way to the rooftop of the mansion, where Hong Meiling could be seen aiming a bunch of flying kicks towards Marluxia, the member of the Organization that Flandre had drawn, only for Marluxia to easily counter with his scythe, Graceful Dahlia.

"I expected more from someone as strong as you," Marluxia cackled.

"Oh, don't count me out just yet!" Meiling growled, leaping over a horizontal slash and lashing out to kick Marluxia across the face.

However, the Graceful Assassin simply shrugged off the blow and raised his scythe, ready to slice Meiling in half, only for Nick to plant himself in front of her and raise Scarlet Witch to block the strike.

"You're not hurting any more innocent people, you bastard," Nick growled, pushing Marluxia back and lashing out with an overhead swing.

"Isn't innocence overrated anyway?" Marluxia laughed, swinging Graceful Dahlia low and forcing Nick to leap backwards away from the attack.

"Start making sense, nutball!" Maylin shot back, raising Counterpoint into a fighting stance.

"Have you seen the state of the worlds?" Marluxia proclaimed. "So many victims, fallen to darkness due to their own arrogance and twisted whims. And tell me you have seen what these people are capable of. Devious feats like stealing the moon, interfering with the course of nature simply because they believe they can?"

"Well, unlike you and _your_ cronies, I'm sure there's a very good reason why these people do what they do," Haruka countered. "Each world has its own rhyme and reason for doing things, and they could do without you monsters messing with the equilibrium!"

"Hmph. You woefully do not see the bigger picture," Marluxia proclaimed. "That's one thing you and Sora definitely have in common. You seem to be unable to understand the implications of what you do in your crusade against darkness."

"Um, _bitch_ , we're all for striking a balance," Maylin shot back. "We understand _clearly_ that light and darkness are two sides of the same coin. The _problem_ is that you and your black-hooded partners in crime don't realize that _you're_ the ones throwing the balance out of whack!"

Marluxia simply laughed and clutched his scythe. "And here I hoped you would be more receptive."

Marie took a few steps forward to take Nick's free hand, both of their bodies shimmering with an aura of darkness. "Buddy, you really have no idea who you're talking to, do you?" Marie taunted. "You wanna see darkness, then we'll give it to you. Big bro, wanna do the honors?"

"You know it," Nick laughed.

Nick and Marie squeezed each others' hands, and one flash of darkness later, they had united into Shadow Form, dual-wielding Darkgnaw and Acrossing Two.

Marluxia seemed intrigued by this transformation even as he readied himself for battle.

"You remind me of someone in that form," Marluxia admitted. "Once, I saw Sora attempt to use a similar transformation, only for the darkness in his heart to take over and turn him into something like what I now see before me."

"Yeah, but the big difference here is, I can only use this form _because_ I accept my darkness!" Shadow Form Nick shot back, using a Shadow Sneak to appear right behind Marluxia and knock the Graceful Assassin into the air with a double uppercut.

Shadow Form Nick leaped into the air and footstooled off of Marluxia's head to unleash a Doom Flash below him, ravaging Marluxia with a small tornado of dark energy blades.

"So don't you _dare_ lecture me with your _bullshit theories_ on light and darkness!" Shadow Form Nick growled, landing on the ground and ripping forward with a double cross-slash just as Marluxia fell to the ground.

Marluxia gasped in disbelief and reached for his opponent before seemingly dissipating in a burst of darkness and flower petals.

Shadow Form Nick struck a victory pose before separating back into Nick and Marie.

"And another black-hooded toadie served up extra crispy!" Maylin proclaimed.

"Meanie didn't stand a chance!" Flandre giggled.

Haruka, however, wasn't convinced. "I don't know, you guys," Haruka quipped. "That seemed _far_ too easy to be a member of the Organization."

Nick was about to raise his keyblade in preparation when Marluxia reappeared behind him and bent down to whisper something in his ear.

A small circle of thorns lined with pinkish-red roses constricted around Nick's body before he had any chance to retaliate.

Flandre was the first one to notice the strange sight that now hovered over Nick's head, that being a large number sixty-seven, much like they'd seen on No. 11 of the Mushroom XIII earlier.

"W-what?! What the hell did you do to me?!" Nick growled, raising Acrossing Two as Marluxia began to advance.

The Graceful Assassin warped to behind Nick and struck him with two criss-crossing scythe slashes, pushing Nick backwards.

"Hey, his number went down!" Flandre gasped. Nick's count was now at sixty-five.

"That must mean Nick can't afford to get hit too many times, otherwise... well, I can probably guess," Haruka quipped.

"Oh, you're _really_ asking for it now, petal pusher!" Maylin shouted, already clutching a spell coin. _"Force, know my plight! Release the light! FREEZE!"_

Maylin swung Counterpoint to unleash a Blizzaga spell, only for Marluxia to easily slash through it with Graceful Dahlia. This, however, gave Nick ample opportunity to attack Marluxia with a combo of his own, ending in an Explosion that sent Marluxia flying.

Before Nick could pursue, Marluxia warped away and reappeared near Nick, slashing upwards to send him into the air as well. Marluxia continued to attack before slamming Nick to the ground with an overhead swing, his count now down to fifty-eight.

"Give up this pathetic crusade," Marluxia proclaimed.

"Knock it off, you big meanie!" Flandre shouted, flying onto the battlefield and slashing at Marluxia with her razor-sharp claws.

"Oh, and what do _you_ hope to accomplish, little girl?" Marluxia taunted even as he backed off slowly. That claw strike had actually hurt, after all.

Flandre puffed her cheeks out in annoyance before raising her hands. "No one hurts _my friend_ and gets away with it! _Forbidden Barrage: 'Starbow Break'!"_ Flandre shouted, a burst of light erupting from her hands before forming into multiple rainbow-colored spears that flew forward and slashed mercilessly at Marluxia. This allowed Flandre to double back and pick Nick back up.

"You okay?" Flandre asked.

"I should be," Nick quipped, raising Acrossing Two to cast Curaga on himself, slightly dismayed that it didn't restore his "count" to full as well. "Thanks for the save, Flandre."

"Any time!" Flandre giggled.

Marluxia warped to the center of the rooftop and prepared his scythe, a small whirlwind surrounding him that actually seemed to be drawing everyone closer to him.

Nick wisely raised Acrossing Two into a defensive stance as Marluxia went on the offensive, performing many spinning scythe attacks before ending with one final overhead swing.

Guarding against the last swing pushed Nick back slightly, but he noticed that he was now closer to the blade of Graceful Dahlia.

 _Hmmm, I wonder..._ Nick thought, using a Slapshot to knock Graceful Dahlia out of Marluxia's hands and catch it himself.

"Yeah, asshole, see how _you_ like it!" Nick shouted, swinging the scythe four times and damaging Marluxia with each swing, then leaping back and throwing the scythe straight into Marluxia's body. When the scythe made contact, Nick noticed that his "count" had been restored to sixty-seven.

"Oh, so _that's_ how I get it back," Nick quipped. "Good to know."

"Do not think you have won yet," Marluxia cackled, curling in on himself and forming into a bizarre pinwheel with his scythe, then rushing forward towards Nick. Thankfully, he was able to block the attack, but this put Nick in a vulnerable position due to being so close to Marluxia.

The Graceful Assassin attempted to take advantage of this and struck with an overhead slash, but Nick juked to the right to dodge, then leaped, jumping off the pommel of the scythe to deliver three lightning-fast hits that stumbled Marluxia, followed by landing and sending Marluxia tumbling backwards with a vicious backhand swing.

Marluxia quickly got back to his feet, only to be surrounded by a cage of green energy orbs. "What is this?!" Marluxia growled.

"Me, meanie!" Flandre shouted, her hands clasped together. _"Taboo Sign: 'Kagome, Kagome'!"_

Flandre unclasped her hands to fire off multiple large, yellow orbs towards Marluxia. While this was transpiring, Nick slid behind Marluxia and began to wail on him with an Ars Arcanum, hoping to inflict as much damage as he could and end this battle quickly before things got too crazy.

Before Nick was able to land the last hit, however, Marluxia warped away and planted himself at the center of the rooftop, slamming the pommel of Graceful Dahlia to the ground and creating three large circles of dark red energy around him. Nick was unable to escape from the one that was formed under him, and touching it threw him high into the air.

After checking his "count" and noticing that it hadn't been drained at all from that attack, Nick held Acrossing Two aloft and began to channel power into it before unleashing a salvo of lasers from the teeth that all thundered downward to strike Marluxia and dissipate the circles.

"Ah, it felt good to use Ragnarok after so long," Nick quipped as he landed on the ground and rushed in to attack Marluxia while the Graceful Assassin was staggered. "You got anything else up those magenta sleeves of yours?!"

In response, Marluxia simply smirked and vanished in a flurry of rose petals. The sky around the area instantly darkened considerably, and pillars of dark energy began to erupt from the floor in random areas.

Nick had to dodge around wildly to escape the pillars of death, but while he was frantically dodging, Marluxia appeared behind Nick and threw his scythe so that it spun around and slashed at Nick's vulnerable backside multiple times, before recalling it and warping to the sky, then diving downwards and spiking Nick into the ground.

When Flandre noticed that Nick's "count" was down to eleven after that massive strike, that was all the incentive she needed to get moving.

"F-Flandre?" Remilia gasped, having just made it to the rooftop to witness the battle that was taking place. "What are you doing outside of your...?"

"No time, no time!" Flandre near-screamed, taking Remilia's hands and dragging her to the battlefield. "My friend needs our help!"

"Well, our game has been fun," Marluxia proclaimed. "Have you any last words?"

"Go to hell," Nick growled, still clutching his keyblade and attempting to pick himself up.

Marluxia just grinned, readying Graceful Dahlia for the killing blow. "I'll meet you there."

"GET AWAY FROM MY FRIEND, YOU POOFY-HAIRED JERK!"

Marluxia would have made a quip about that had he not realized he was now surrounded by what appeared to be thousands upon thousands of energy orbs of different sizes and shapes. He glanced over at Remilia and Flandre, only to see their entire bodies glowing with an ethereal, ghostly light.

"I warned you, meanie," Flandre proclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"You will trouble us no more, you hooded creep!" Remilia growled, clapping her hands together.

The barrage of bullets surrounding Marluxia began to pulse wildly, and the Graceful Assassin suddenly had a realization that he was in pretty deep trouble.

" _Scarlet Devil Sign: 'Bloody Catastrophe'!"_ Remilia and Flandre shouted at the same time, and all of the bullets converged on Marluxia at once.

Not content with just this, Remilia began to fire blade-shaped bullets while Flandre fired off more of her famous yellow orbs to keep Marluxia in place while the barrage continued.

While all this was transpiring, Maylin made her way to the downed Nick, casting Curaga on him to get him back to full strength.

"Thanks for healing me up, Maylin," Nick quipped.

"There's your chance, Nick!" Maylin exclaimed. "Get in there and finish that bad boy off!"

"Oh, you better believe I will," Nick replied, switching his keyblade to Dimension Tripper and charging towards Marluxia.

Marluxia fell to his knees once the barrage of bullets had finally ended, still miraculously clutching Graceful Dahlia.

"We're giving you just one more chance to leave and never trouble us again," Remilia proclaimed. "What's it going to be?"

In response, Marluxia summoned all of his remaining strength and swung Graceful Dahlia towards the Scarlet sisters...

...only for Nick to plant himself in front of them, swing Dimension Tripper to knock the scythe away, and then switch to Scarlet Witch and cut straight through Marluxia with a Zantetsuken.

Marluxia was still for a few seconds before collapsing back to his knees, looking at Nick in disbelief even as his body dissolved and faded back into darkness.

Once Marluxia was gone, the "count" above Nick's head also disappeared, much to his relief.

"And another black-hooded toadie served up extra crispy!" Maylin proclaimed. "For real this time!"

"That was pretty nuts," Haruka admitted. "I kinda felt like we got shafted in that fight, huh?"

"Hey, we don't need to steal the spotlight every time, right?" Marie giggled. "Besides, I think Flandre kinda stole the show there."

"And down goes the meanie!" Flandre giggled.

"I assume that's why you left your room?" Remilia asked. Though Flandre seemed afraid of a reprimand, she did notice that Remilia was smiling. "Because your friends were with you?"

"Y-yeah," Flandre admitted. "They said I could come with them because they were looking for that jerk that was sneaking around. I didn't want you to be upset because someone trashed our home again..."

"She was just looking out for her family," Haruka answered. "Nick would tell you all about that, right, Nick?"

Nick just nodded even as Marie walked up and gave him a big hug.

"And honestly, Flandre really helped us out against Marluxia," Nick admitted. "She's really something, that's for sure."

"I'm sorry, big sis," Flandre sighed.

To Flandre's surprise, Remilia simply hugged her. "I'm just glad you're all right," Remilia stated. "When China said there was an intruder in the mansion that was attacking you, all I could think about was hoping you were unhurt."

"Nope, he didn't put a scratch on me!" Flandre giggled. "But I put a few scratches on _him_ for hurting my friend!"

"Despite the fact that I keep you in the basement all the time, I only do it because I love you, Flandre," Remilia admitted. "I know you have trouble controlling your power, and I just do not wish for an accident or tragedy to befall us."

"You just want what's best for me," Flandre replied. "I want to learn how to better control my power so I can go with you on these incidents you solve!"

Remilia just glanced back at the moon that was finally back in its rightful place, then looked back at Flandre. "How about this?" Remilia offered. "Whenever I am able, I can start training with you so you can learn to harness your power effectively. And once you have a firm handle on it, you may accompany me on my travels."

"You mean it?!" Flandre gasped. "Thank you, sis, thank you _so much_!"

"Well, you've got really good friends looking out for you, huh?" Remilia quipped, knowingly glancing at Nick.

"You bet I do!" Flandre laughed, separating from Remilia to run over and kiss Nick on the cheek, then dash off before Nick could even process it, leaving Meiling and Remilia to follow Flandre back down into the mansion.

Despite the blush on his face, Nick could practically _feel_ the grin Maylin was leveling towards him.

"Not," Nick started. "Another. _Word_."

Maylin just started laughing as the group's ninth Proof appeared and fell into Nick's hands, this one being a small glass sphere imprinted with Remilia and Flandre's wings.

"And on that rather silly note, I think it's time we get a move on," Haruka stated, activating her wrist device. "Before Nick's face becomes a tomato again."

Flandre cast one last look at the four beams of light streaking into the sky that meant her friends were returning to the Gummi Ship, waving to them as hard as she could.

 _I'm so happy to make a new friend,_ Flandre thought as she and Remilia began to discuss what they were going to focus on for their first training session.

* * *

"Nine Proofs knocked out, and only one more to go," Maylin giggled. "We're so close, you guys!"

"Okay, so, we've been to every world we've been to on this adventure, right?" Marie asked. "Pardon me if I've already asked this, but what's left?"

"The Blue Sky Kingdom, of course," Haruka answered. "Eas is probably still lurking around, not to mention we most likely have some unfinished business in Lyoko, what with getting Aelita and her friends out of that place."

"Then what do you say we start the endgame, as it were?" Nick quipped. "Because I have a feeling that once we're done there, we'll be heading out to the evil lair where my future daughter is hiding."

"That was always the plan," Maylin quipped. "All right, Haruka, full speed ahead to the Blue Sky Kingdom!"

"Roger on that," Haruka proclaimed, activating the engines and piloting the Gummi Ship towards the Blue Sky Kingdom and the final leg of their adventure.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

On the next episode:

Maylin: Well, it's been a while, Blue Sky Kingdom!

Haruka: And, just as I expected, it looks like trouble's brewing.

Marie: Hold on, why does it look like some of XANA's monsters got into the real world? OH, CRAP, that's _exactly_ what happened!

Nick: That doesn't sound right at all. XANA must have run out of patience. Let's get moving, girls!

Haruka: Hold on, who's that standing in our way?

Marie: Eas?

Nick: No, I don't think it's Eas. Whoever it is, she's definitely got something out for us.

Maylin: Wait, _Tsumugi?!_

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "Tower Deactivated"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	23. Tower Deactivated

Nick took a look at the nine Proofs they'd received so far, each claimed from defeating the "evils that lurk" in the worlds they'd visited.

The Proof of Negativity, for defeating the Nuckelavee.

The Proof of Strength, for defeating Lexaeus.

The Proof of Absolution, for defeating the Grim Reaper.

The Proof of Connection, for surviving Future Lily's wrath.

The Proof of Illusion, for defeating Zexion.

The Proof of Dragons, for saving Ylisse and defeating Grima.

The Proof of Duality, for hearing Xion's story.

The Proof of Gravity, for defeating the Iron Imprisoner a third time.

And the Proof of Nonexistence, for defeating Marluxia.

They only had one more Proof to obtain, most likely from whatever was still lurking in the Blue Sky Kingdom.

Nick glanced back out at the Lanes Between, silently recollecting everything they'd accomplished on this adventure, and knowing that even though it felt like they were getting close to the end of one adventure, he knew another one was most likely on the horizon.

Such was the life of a keyblade wielder, after all.

Nick summoned his keyblade and pointed it towards Candracar. He often wondered what W.I.T.C.H. was doing while they were out adventuring through the cosmos.

In the year between adventures, Nick had often heard Irma gossiping about how she wanted to be a keyblade wielder, as she was tired of "leaving all the hero work" to Nick.

Just like her, honestly.

Nick had, admittedly, always found Irma kind of cute ever since they'd met, despite his blazingly obvious crush on Cornelia. Often, Nick wondered how his adventures would have played differently if he'd fallen in love with Irma.

And now that they knew about the possibility of other dimensions, perhaps it had happened in one of them.

Putting those thoughts aside for the moment as the Gummi Ship approached the Blue Sky Kingdom, Nick prepared himself for whatever challenges lie ahead.

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Eden Riegel_ as **Marie Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae / Meiling Li  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** The group returns to the Blue Sky Kingdom to finish their business in Lyoko, but it seems like X.A.N.A. has been busy while they were away, even attempting to break out of Lyoko and rampage in the real world. Alongside finding Aelita and her friends and taking care of X.A.N.A. once and for all, what other challenges will our keyblade wielders face? Is Eas still skulking around, trying to settle her score with Cure Passion? Could the last of the Mushroom XIII be seeking a challenge? And what could a certain fairy be hiding?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

 **For Today's World:** Now, we return to the Blue Sky Kingdom from _Happiness Charge Pretty Cure_ and Lyoko, Sector Five from _Code Lyoko_. And no, I have not seen Evolution yet.

* * *

Episode 23: Tower Deactivated

"Hey, guys, is it me, or does something not feel right here?" Marie asked as the group disembarked at the Borough.

"Now that you mention it, there's definitely a _lot_ of tension in the air," Nick quipped. "You think the Pretty Cures had to deal with something big?"

"Knowing them, they're probably just as cursed as we are," Maylin giggled.

Haruka would have responded with a quip of her own had she not noticed a platoon of Armored Knights marching forward, towards the Bailey.

"Wait a minute, how come there's still Heartless running around?!" Maylin exclaimed, summoning Spellbinder.

"I think there's our problem," Haruka stated, summoning Rumbling Rose. "Let's take care of them, then go find the Pretty Cures."

As the group made their way to take care of the Armored Knights, they were swiftly interrupted when one of the town's defense nodes flew towards Nick, erupting into an upwards geyser of light that knocked him into the air.

"Whoa, whoa, I thought the defense system was supposed to attack the _Heartless_ , not _us_!" Maylin shouted, firing off a Thunder spell that cut through a line of Armored Knights.

"I'm willing to bet that means X.A.N.A.'s been a busy little virus while we've been gone," Haruka replied, slamming Rumbling Rose into the ground and unleashing a shockwave that eliminated the rest of the Armored Knights.

"Then let's get to the Restoration Committee HQ quickly," Nick stated. "Maybe they'll have an update for us."

However, as soon as they crossed through the Bailey and approached the Restoration Committee headquarters, many areas near them began to seemingly glitch out, as though a computer program was affecting the world, before a group of Strafers and Magnum Loaders pushed their way out of the glitches.

"Oh, _that_ doesn't look good at all," Maylin groaned.

Almost as if on cue, a few Krabs appeared on the field, followed by a Megatank.

"What the _hell_ are _those_ things doing in the real world?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Sounds like we've got a lot more trouble than we thought," Nick quipped, summoning Dimension Tripper to his hands. "Let's waste these things and move on."

The Megatank began to roll towards them, only for them all to dive out of the way, causing the Megatank to roll straight into the side of a nearby building, exposing its Eye of X.A.N.A. and allowing Maylin to fire a Thunder spell straight into it and disintegrate it.

The Krabs joined the Strafers in juking around to make it hard for their opponents to hit them, but Nick rectified that by casting Magnega above them, drawing them into the magnetic sphere and leaving them open for Marie to destroy them with a Dark Volley.

One of the Magnum Loaders charged for Nick, but he swung Dimension Tripper upwards to cut off its charge, then split it in half with an overhead slash, then threw it in a Strike Raid to intercept another Krab that was approaching them.

"All right, _that_ was annoying," Maylin stated matter-of-factly. "How did X.A.N.A.'s monsters get into the real world?!"

"That's actually what we wanted to talk about."

The group turned around and noticed that the door to Restoration Committee HQ had just opened, and Aelita was in the doorway right next to a rather worried-looking Cure Princess.

"A-Aelita?!" Haruka gasped. "You made it out of Lyoko?"

"What about your other friends?" Marie asked. "Did they all get their source codes back?"

"Yes, I gave the codes back to them, but they decided to stay on Lyoko in hopes we can find Jeremy," Aelita answered.

"In the meanwhile, we've got a _gigantic_ problem on our hands!" Cure Princess exclaimed, practically dragging the keyblade wielders inside.

"We kinda noticed," Nick teased. "Hard to miss a giant spherical tank. But down to the business at hand, what exactly is X.A.N.A. up to now?"

"He's trying to bust out of Lyoko and wreak havoc in the real world!" Cure Lovely exclaimed.

"Apparently, he's been using the virtualization programs to crank out Heartless in the town along with its own monsters," Cure Honey explained, even as she typed away at her computer screen. "Apparently, X.A.N.A. has also infected our town's defense systems, causing them to attack the civilians."

"Sounds like he's finally run out of patience," Haruka quipped.

"Okay, so how do we _fix_ all of this?" Maylin proclaimed.

"Cure Honey's putting together a special program that will allow you guys to erase X.A.N.A. completely by attacking its own code," Cure Fortune stated. "Once it's finished, we'll beam it to Lyoko for you guys to use."

"That means you'd better get there in a hurry," Cure Lovely noted. "Who knows what kind of diabolical surprises X.A.N.A. might be cooking up?"

"That's the plan, then," Maylin proclaimed. "To the supercomputer!"

"When you get to Lyoko, head to the interface at the Celestial Dome," Cure Fortune proclaimed. "That's where you can pick up what we're calling the X.A.N.A. Eraser. Cure Tender's waiting with Sissi at the Supercomputer Chambers for you guys."

"Oh, by the way, if you see Tsumugi, can you tell her to come back to headquarters?" Cure Lovely asked. "She hasn't returned in a while, and I'm really worried about her, what with all the new monsters running amok..."

"Will do, Lovely!" Marie stated.

However, as the group made their way through the Restoration Site, they were soon stopped by another member of the Mushroom XIII, this one being the largest of the group.

"Okay, this is really getting annoying," Maylin growled. "Can we stomp him and get a move on?"

No. 1 suddenly dashed to right behind Nick, causing him to juke around to get behind No. 1, who then swung its arms before miming the number seventy with its hands, then miming a clock and the number thirty.

"What's it saying?" Aelita wondered.

"I think we've got thirty seconds to hit it at least seventy times by getting behind it before it gets behind us," Nick explained. "What's the game plan, girls?"

"I think quick hits are gonna be key for this one, so let's go Valor Form," Haruka answered, taking Nick's hand so they could unite into Valor Form, dual wielding Rumbling Rose and Divewing.

No. 1 immediately leaped forward, only for Valor Form Nick to spin around to behind it at almost the last second, leaving No. 1 confused.

Nick had realized that timing was key to winning this challenge, not dodging willy-nilly, and had decided to wait for a prime opportunity.

While No. 1 was disoriented, Valor Form Nick immediately went to work, slashing at No. 1's back as many times as he could, unleashing a Brave Beat followed by a Sonic End to inflict as many hits as possible.

In the middle of another combo, No. 1 pushed back and knocked Valor Form Nick away, starting the process anew.

About halfway through the third string of attacks, No. 1 tossed fireworks into the air before jumping back to the ground.

"Guess that was seventy hits," Valor Form Nick quipped. "Time!"

"Twenty-seven seconds!" Marie exclaimed. "Nice job, big bro!"

Valor Form Nick separated into Nick and Haruka as No. 1 handed off a cluster of Tranquility materials before vanishing completely.

"Just one more to go," Nick quipped. "Let's keep moving, everybody."

"You tend to get mixed up in a lot of weird situations, don't you?" Aelita giggled.

"It's a curse, I tells ya," Maylin laughed.

Eventually, the group made it to the Postern, where a very, shall we say, interesting predicament waited for them.

As Nick was walking towards the ramp downward that would lead them back into the castle, a tiny fairy-like person came flying over and kicked him in the face, sending him stumbling back.

"W-what the hell?! Who did that?!" Nick sputtered before quickly righting himself and summoning Oblivion to his hands.

"You liars!"

Nick looked ahead and noticed those three tiny "Steel Angels", as they were called, staring expectantly at them.

"Wait, what?" Nick wondered.

"Those Pretty Cures don't have any treasure!" Karinka snapped.

Saki simply shook her head in exasperation, while Kurumi just huffed, her cheeks puffing out in frustration.

Haruka's eyes instantly turned towards Maylin. "Would you, maybe, have something to do with this, Maylin?" Haruka stated, her eyes narrowing.

"H-Hey, I had to tell them _something_ , didn't I?" Maylin admitted.

"How are we gonna work this out?" Kurumi asked.

"What do _you_ think we should do?" Nick asked.

The Steel Angels huddled together, whispering amongst themselves for a couple seconds.

"This is so strange," Aelita admitted.

"Oh, tell me about it," Marie quipped. "You should see all the nonsense we've been witness to on our journeys. It's something else, let me tell ya."

After about a minute of deliberation, Kurumi was the first to break the circle. "We're just gonna take _your_ treasure to compensate!" Kurumi stated.

"Hey, hold on, we don't _have_ any treasure like _that_ ," Haruka proclaimed.

"You sure about that?" Karinka shot back. "Saki, inspect them!"

Despite shaking her head at Karinka's insistence, Saki began to fly around the group, seeing what they had in store. After searching Marie, Saki flew back to Kurumi and whispered something into the pink-haired angel's ear.

"All right, it's a decision!" Kurumi exclaimed. "The Steel Angels are taking all of your items!"

"WHAT?!" Maylin shouted, immediately summoning Spellbinder to her hands. "You've gotta be kidding me! We fought hard for these!"

"Look, we're sorry we tricked you, but... you kinda put us on the spot back then," Nick stated, trying to think of a way to smooth out the situation. "Is there some way we can make a deal on this?"

"Honestly, don't worry about it," Saki stated.

"Excuse me?" Marie asked, a little confused.

"The Pretty Cures told us everything about you all," Saki admitted. "They said your journey's been pretty rough."

"So, I guess it wouldn't really be right to take your stuff," Kurumi responded. "That's not how I roll, after all."

"So, we'll root for you guys!" Karinka quipped. "How about this? This is from all of us."

The three Steel Angels raised their hands, and a bright light flew from their outstretched palms before flying into Nick's free hand, magically growing into a new keyblade. This keyblade had a handle guard made of Karinka's built-in wings, the hilt resembled the bow of Kurumi's maid uniform, the shaft and blade was a long white angel wing decorated with a few black feathers along the blade, the teeth resembled the Angel Heart that gave the Steel Angels life, and the token, connected by a keychain that was basically a long strand of Kurumi's pink hair was a tiny terrier dog resembling Kurumi's dog Kyanwan. The words _Angel Wing_ came to Nick's mind as he studied the weapon.

"Have a safe trip, you guys, and good luck on your adventures!" Kurumi giggled.

"Angels, _out_!" Karinka proclaimed.

The three Steel Angels performed a group pose before vanishing in a curtain of multi-colored light.

Despite the shared confusion, the keyblade wielders decided to press on anyway, moving their way through the Castle Corridors.

When they reached the wide-open space that would take them to the Study, Maylin was the first to notice Tsumugi standing there chatting with Feng, her fairy partner.

"Hey, there she is," Maylin quipped. "Wonder what she's doing here?"

Marie suddenly stiffened up where she stood, which meant she was detecting dark power nearby.

Initially confused as to what kind of dark power she was sensing, Nick glanced around until his mind made a connection about something he hadn't before.

Nick looked at the black bands around Tsumugi's ankles, which, according to her, gave her the ability to use her legs after her accident.

Feng had the same black bands on _his_ ankles as well.

Even though Tsumugi had explained that Feng was using those bands to lend his power to Tsumugi, thus allowing her to use her legs, now Nick was suspicious.

"Hey, Marie, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Nick asked.

"Oh, yeah," Marie responded.

Before Tsumugi even knew they were there, Nick raised Angel Wing and fired a Thunder spell, just barely missing Feng.

"H-hey, hey, what's the big deal?!" Feng shouted.

"Why don't you drop the act, Feng?" Nick proclaimed. "You're not fooling us anymore."

Feng looked at Tsumugi for a couple seconds, before surrounding his body with a dark aura and shape-shifting into a foe they hadn't seen in quite a while.

"What the...?! YOU AGAIN!" Maylin exclaimed.

Sure enough, Feng had transformed into Red's new right hand, Black Fang.

"I've got to say, I'm impressed, you key-swinging brats," Black Fang proclaimed. "How _did_ you figure out who I was?"

"Well, it helps when you can easily sense dark power like I can," Marie responded, summoning Rainfell to her hands.

"F-Feng, what... what's going on?" Tsumugi asked. "I didn't know you had this form..."

"I had to hide it from anyone who would try to take away your dreams, Tsumugi darling," Black Fang responded. "It seems that your friends have been taken by the darkness, and they want to rip your dreams away from you."

"Like _hell_ we would!" Maylin shouted, aiming Spellbinder right for Black Fang's face. "Stop feeding her your _lies_ , cape and cowl!"

"Why would they want to take my dream away from me?" Tsumugi asked, clearly convinced that Black Fang was telling the truth.

"The darkness can do terrible things to people's minds," Black Fang replied. "Perhaps, in their darkness-addled state of mind, they see you as the enemy."

"Oh, come _on,_ Tsumugi, don't tell me you actually _believe_ this asshole?!" Maylin exclaimed.

Just then, Nick realized something. "It's gotta be her ankle-bands! Black Fang's probably poisoning her mind with his dark power!"

"Ooh, that's _low_ , even for someone like you, freak," Marie growled.

"Then... should we fight them?" Tsumugi asked.

"I'm afraid we have no choice, darling," Black Fang proclaimed. "It might be the only way to free them from the darkness."

"Oh, you wanna throw down, jerk?!" Maylin shouted. "Then, by all freakin' means, _let's throw down!_ "

Black Fang was the first to go on the offensive, swinging his staff and unleashing a wave of dark fire to keep the keyblade wielders at bay. Maylin countered this with a Waterga spell, firing off six large water bubbles that cleansed the black flames and struck Black Fang, thus pushing him back, only for him to be kept on his feet by Tsumugi.

"Why are you trying to hurt him?!" Tsumugi shouted. "He's the only reason I can still walk! Why are you trying to take the only good thing I have away from me?!"

"Get your head out of your keester, Tsumugi!" Maylin shot back, blasting Black Feng in the chest with a Firaga spell. "This creep-a-zoid is the _enemy_! He's the one who nearly wiped out all of our existences by messing with time! He's the right hand of the Blue Sky Kingdom's sworn enemy!"

Tsumugi decided not to listen, instead opting to charge forward and attack Nick with a series of spinning kicks. Nick was forced to swing Angel Wing to deflect each kick before stabbing forwards and forcing Tsumugi to retreat.

"I didn't want to do this, but you're not leaving me any other choice!" Tsumugi shouted, her body pulsing with darkness. Nick also noticed that this new aura was making her ankle-bands pulse with darkness as well.

"That settles it," Nick quipped. "We need to get those bands off of her."

"We'll hold off the jester!" Maylin exclaimed, dodging a wave of lightning from Black Fang's staff before retaliating with a Blizzaga to his face. "You just focus on getting through to Tsumugi!"

"Right," Nick replied as he turned his attention to Tsumugi.

The young dancer leaped through the air and aimed a snap kick downwards. Nick dodge-rolled away from the kick just as it connected with the ground, creating a crater where Tsumugi had struck.

"Tsumugi, you need to snap out of it!" Nick shouted. "Black Fang is just using you for whatever his sick little scheme is!"

"I can't fathom that someone I believed so strongly in would fall to darkness," Tsumugi proclaimed. "But I _will_ save you, even if I have to hurt you to do it!"

"Okay, _that's it_ ," Nick growled, swiping at Tsumugi to get her to lower her guard before striking her directly with a point-blank Thunder spell. As the electricity crackled across her body, Tsumugi fell to her knees in abject pain just in time for her ankle bands to shatter into pieces and dissolve into dark mist.

"W-what?!" Black Fang exclaimed as Nick dashed over to help Tsumugi to her feet.

"Are you okay, Tsumugi?" Nick asked, hoping his theory was correct.

"W-what?" Tsumugi gasped. "Wait... I... I can walk?"

Tsumugi looked down at her ankles, which no longer held the black bands Black Fang had put on her. Yet, she felt no different than she had when she still had the bands.

"Hold on, I'm confused," Tsumugi stated.

Suddenly, Tsumugi was struck by spider-webs of darkness that bound her in her spot.

"So sorry, dearie, but now that the jig is up for me, I'm afraid you've outlived your usefulness," Black Fang proclaimed.

"W-what are you doing?!" Tsumugi shouted.

"Yeah, freak, what did you do to her?!" Maylin growled.

"Simple, really," Black Fang laughed. "I needed a pawn of sorts, a useful piece to give me the necessary power I needed. So, I basically found Tsumugi, who had lost all the feeling in her legs after her little accident..."

It didn't take long for Nick to catch on to the implications of Black Fang's words. "Oh, my god, _you_ were the one who caused her accident, weren't you?!" Nick challenged.

"Got it in one," Black Fang cackled. "I fed off of her despair, and it gave me the power I needed to bring myself back from the darkness and challenge this kingdom's wretched Pretty Cures. However, when I found out that Red had been destroyed by the likes of you, I figured it was time to shift gears. I channeled her despair into the power I needed to revive him."

"S-So... this whole time... you've just been _using_ me, Feng?!" Tsumugi cried.

"Oh, you are _seriously_ sick in the head, you nutjob!" Maylin proclaimed. "I'm gonna enjoy cutting you down."

"Oh, I don't think that'll be happening anytime soon, you wretched brats," Black Fang proclaimed. "In fact, it's gonna be quite the opposite. I'm going to enjoy watching _Tsumugi_ cut _you_ down!"

"You really think I'd hurt my friends?!" Tsumugi shouted, still struggling to escape the web she'd been trapped in.

In response, Black Fang simply laughed maniacally.

"Oh, but that's the best part, my dear Tsumugi," Black Fang stated. _"I'm not giving you a choice."_

Before anyone could move to stop him, Black Fang rushed forward and stabbed his staff into Tsumugi's chest, causing darkness to envelop her entire body.

Tsumugi could do naught but cry out in despair as the darkness completely enveloped her, spreading out to cover the Corridors in it as well.

When Nick could see again, they were all standing in a pitch-black void with nothing around them but a violet black hole somewhere in the distance.

The darkness that had consumed Tsumugi had taken form as a powerful Heartless resembling a fancy ballerina dancer's dress. The main dress was colored dark red and purple with zig-zagging lines crossing over it, the fluff protruding from the shoulders had lengthened into two pairs of whip-like arms ending in razor-sharp roses, and a face that resembled an opened rose with wide-open, blazing yellow eyes and a ear-to-ear smile, all topped off with a purple rose on its hat. The Heartless emblem was imprinted on the hem of its dress.

"Oh, _now_ you're just being _cruel_ ," Haruka proclaimed.

"Have fun, kiddies!" Black Fang laughed before disappearing from the battlefield, his maniacal laughter echoing for a few seconds.

The Baleful Ballerina set its sights on the group before spinning around in an obvious ballerina move, the spin sending razor-sharp rose petals flying every which way.

During a break in the barrage, Nick leaped into the air and cast a Thunder spell that sent the Baleful Ballerina reeling, allowing Marie to get in close and slash at the hem of its dress a couple times.

Before Marie could get a combo finisher in, the Baleful Ballerina cracked out one of its whip arms and sent Marie flying backwards, only for her to quickly right herself and fire a Dark Firaga into the Baleful Ballerina's face.

This allowed Nick to close in and leap to attack the Baleful Ballerina's face with four aerial hits, ending in a Hurricane Period that stumbled the giant Heartless.

The Baleful Ballerina retaliated by stretching two of its arms forward, combining the roses on its hands into one giant rose that pushed Nick away.

"Okay, so you're gonna be stubborn, I see," Nick growled. "All right, let's get serious! _Style Change: Fever Pitch!_ "

Nick's body and keyblade were enveloped in a bright green aura, and wings sprouted from the back of his shoes.

The Baleful Ballerina swung its lower arms and fired a stream of razor petals, only for Nick to easily dodge with his enhanced speed and dash forward to strike, landing for hits before swiping five more times lightning-quick and then strike upwards, causing energy blasts to spread out in a fan-shape formation below him and damage the Baleful Ballerina further.

"My turn, my turn! _Style Change: Spellweaver!_ " Maylin proclaimed, her body and Stormfall glowing a radiant blue and floating slightly off the ground, her eyes twinkling and Stormfall telekinetically floating by her right hand.

The Baleful Ballerina quickly recovered from Nick's attack and began to march towards Maylin, the hem of its dress lifting slightly to reveal ballerina shoes lined with incredibly sharp spikes.

"Oh, no you don't! You're _not_ making Tsumugi kick _me_ to death today!" Maylin shouted, moving in to attack the Baleful Ballerina, starting her combo by swinging Stormfall low and letting it spin around, then following up with a flying uppercut with the spiraling keyblade, then thrusting it forward and creating a prism-shaped barrier in front of her that spun around to damage the Baleful Ballerina. Maylin finished her combo by aiming Stormfall for the Baleful Ballerina's chest and firing off a large sphere of light that did multiple hits worth of damage and caused the Baleful Ballerina to retreat slightly.

"Nick, we need to figure out if there's a way to get Tsumugi out of that thing!" Marie shouted.

"Still working on that, honestly," Haruka quipped. "Until then, let's just do what we do best. _Style Change: Wingblade!"_

Haruka's body and Divewing began to glow a brilliant pink and float slightly off the ground, and six pink energy swords appeared behind her, floating in a way that invoked angel wings.

The Baleful Ballerina began smashing its four arms into the ground, creating shockwaves that forced the group to stay on the move. As the Baleful Ballerina attempted an overhead strike, Haruka raised Divewing to block the attack before moving in herself, swinging Divewing in wide, sweeping strikes and stabs. As she did so, the six energy swords she'd gained also began to attack in seemingly random patterns with each strike Haruka made, as if they had a will of their own.

When her combo was finished, Haruka ended off by stabbing four of her blades forward at once, then leaping into the air and performing a powerful downward slash with the last two energy blades and Divewing, causing a burst of wind to erupt from the point of impact and drive the Baleful Ballerina back.

"Um, you guys, this thing just does not want to collapse!" Haruka shouted.

The Baleful Ballerina clapped all four of its rose hands together, unleashing a shockwave of razor petals that forced the group to duck to avoid the attack.

Before Nick could move in, however, the Baleful Ballerina lashed out to catch him in one of its rose hands, then aiming its other hand for his face and covering Nick in purple pollen spores, before smashing him into the ground. While Nick was able to pick himself up, he was clutching his chest and breathing heavily, indicating he'd been poisoned much like Haruka had during the fight with the Mad Treant.

"Why, you..." Marie growled.

"I'll go heal him, Marie!" Maylin exclaimed. "You just wreck this thing's expensive dress!"

"Oh, you'd better believe I will," Marie proclaimed, her body shimmering with darkness. _"Style Change: Dark Impulse!"_

Darkness exploded from Marie's body, covering her in a dark aura and surrounding her free hand with a wicked-looking dark claw.

"You're going to regret hurting my big bro, you overstuffed interpretive dancer!" Marie proclaimed, charging towards the Baleful Ballerina and attacking with a wicked flurry of keyblade strikes, mostly quick slashes and overhead spins, each strike trailing darkness behind it, ending by thrusting her free hand forward and projecting a larger version of her dark claw forward to attack the Baleful Ballerina.

Maylin dashed over to Nick's side, raising Spellbinder over him and casting Esuna. Golden sparkles surrounded Nick's body and cleared the pollen away, thus allowing him to catch his breath.

"Thanks, Maylin," Nick quipped.

"Always happy to be of service," Maylin giggled, kissing Nick on the cheek.

The Baleful Ballerina leaped into the air to use its petal shockwave attack again, but at almost the last second, Marie created a pool of darkness underneath her and dove down into it, coming back up right under the Baleful Ballerina and projecting an even larger dark claw straight upwards, dragging the Baleful Ballerina into the air with it.

To Marie's surprise, the Baleful Ballerina stomped back downwards, catching her off guard and knocking her to her knees.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that one," Maylin proclaimed. Energy began to gather around Stormfall, and Maylin began to spin around like a ballet dancer, spirals of light surrounding her as she did so and lifting the Baleful Ballerina into the air with each hit.

After about seven straight seconds of spinning, Maylin finished with a swift flourish of Stormfall that created a large ice crystal above her, which instantly shattered and created a shockwave that sent the Baleful Ballerina stumbling.

Haruka decided to make herself useful by leaping into the air, then gestured to the ground with her free hand. Her six energy swords responded to this by launching themselves back to the ground and planting themselves in a circle formation around the Baleful Ballerina.

For the finale, Haruka practically teleported back to the ground and slammed her palm into the floor in the center of the circle. The energy blades emitted magic runes before unleashing a powerful shockwave that sent the Baleful Ballerina flying.

By the time the Baleful Ballerina was able to pick itself up, its body suddenly froze in its place. A large keyhole had appeared on the center of its dress.

"Nick!" Haruka shouted.

"Got it!" Nick responded, raising Angel Wing and firing a beam of light from its teeth into the keyhole. The Baleful Ballerina seized up, twitched violently and then collapsed, darkness enveloping it and dissolving it completely.

The dark void also disappeared, returning the group to the Corridors. When everything was calm again, Nick noticed that Tsumugi was lying unconscious on the floor where the Baleful Ballerina had just been.

"Oh, thank goodness she's okay," Nick sighed, walking over to pick Tsumugi back up. "You doing all right there?"

"Uhhhh... what just happened?" Tsumugi asked, relieved to discover she could still walk without the ankle bands. "Where did Black Fang go?"

"The dipcoat turned tail and ran off," Maylin explained. "He turned you into a Heartless to make you destroy us."

"Oh, god... did I really...?" Tsumugi gasped, a few tears falling. "I... I feel like such a fool for believing him..."

"He was probably trying to influence you with those bands once he realized we were on to him," Haruka stated, gently squeezing Tsumugi's shoulder. "These villains tend to love that dastardly trick."

Despite everything, Tsumugi managed a smile. "I guess there's one thing I _can_ thank him for," Tsumugi admitted. "My legs are healed because of him."

"You can still dance," Marie continued. "Your dream isn't dead."

"No way in heck," Tsumugi giggled. "I'm gonna fight for my dream no matter what it takes. Thank you all for coming to my aid when I really needed it. I feel so lucky to have so many wonderful friends..."

 _Do I even need to say the line?_ Nick thought to himself.

"You should probably go find Megumi," Maylin proclaimed. "She was really worried about you when you disappeared..."

"Yeah, I should make sure she isn't tearing up the Restoration Committee like she did last time," Tsumugi replied. "Again, I don't know if I can ever thank you guys enough..."

Tsumugi took a step forward to kiss Nick on the cheek before turning on her heel and dashing off down the corridors to return to the town and find Megumi and the other Cures.

"I'm noticing a pattern here," Maylin giggled.

"NOT. ANOTHER. WORD," Nick growled.

Haruka and Marie just laughed at their partners' silliness as the four of them crossed through the last corridor to the Study, and after pressing the hidden button, into the Supercomputer Chamber, where Cure Tender could be seen talking to Sissi about certain functions of the computer systems.

"Oh, you guys made it!" Sissi exclaimed once she'd noticed them.

"Is the Eraser ready yet?" Cure Tender asked.

"Just about," Maylin answered. "Honey's going to stream it right to Lyoko when it's ready so we can pick it up on the way."

"All right, I've got some good news and I've got some bad news," Sissi stated.

"Okay, start with the good," Haruka quipped.

"The good news is, we finally found Jeremy!" Sissi exclaimed. "However..."

"I bet that also ties in to the bad news, right?" Marie asked.

"Yup," Sissi sighed. "The bad news is... X.A.N.A. has him. He's being held in the core of Lyoko, which is most likely also where X.A.N.A.'s hiding."

"Then that's pretty much all the reason we need to zap to Lyoko and erase that damn virus before it gets any worse," Maylin quipped.

"I'll take care of the scanners for you," Sissi proclaimed, jumping back into the seat at the computer terminal and activating the virtualization program. "You just get in there and save Jeremy!"

Nick, Maylin, and Haruka all made their way to the scanners as Sissi activated the program. Marie had once again decided to stay behind and act as support, since only three of the four scanners were working at the moment due to Jeremy still being trapped in Lyoko.

 _Good luck, you guys,_ Sissi thought as the trio disappeared.

* * *

"Still incredibly trippy, isn't it?" Maylin quipped as the trio emerged in the Arena, with the Core Zone just ahead.

"How about we beat feet to the Celestial Dome?" Haruka quipped. "No doubt Aelita's friends are waiting there for the Pretty Cures to upload that Eraser program."

However, no sooner did the trio take a few steps into the Core Zone than a bunch of X.A.N.A. monsters appeared in front of them, mostly Bloks and Tarantulas, upright-walking spiders with laser cannons on their hands, and a lone Megatank.

"Of course," Nick groaned, summoning Angel Wing to his hands.

One of the Tarantulas aimed its hands for the trio and began to fire lasers from it non-stop, forcing them to stay on the move and occasionally dodge a rolling attack from the Megatank.

Maylin leapfrogged over a Blok that was trying to tackle her and fired a Thunder spell straight downwards, directly into the Eye of the Tarantula that was firing them, causing it to slump down and disintegrate.

"Okay, so they can't really move from their spot while they're firing," Maylin noted. "Good to know."

Haruka leaped into the middle of a pack of Bloks and slammed Divine Rose into the ground, causing a Tremor that upended the Bloks and left them vulnerable to Nick picking them all off with a Strike Raid.

Another Tarantula tried to open fire on Nick while he was distracted, but Maylin rectified that by casting Reflect on Nick to protect him. Nick finished the job by throwing Angel Wing around the Reflect barrier so that it curved through the air and slashed at the Tarantula's Eye, causing it to fall over before disintegrating.

The Megatank made its presence known by rolling through the dissipating polygons of its fellow monster and slammed into Nick, breaking through the Reflect barrier and sending him flying.

But Nick still managed to get the last laugh by regaining his balance quickly, planting his feet on one of the retracting pillars of the Core Zone, then propelling himself forward to jam Angel Wing into the Eye of the Megatank, causing it to slump over before exploding into glowing polygons.

"And boom," Maylin quipped. "Let's hurry up, peoples! We've got a virus to eliminate!"

With that, the trio crossed through the rest of the Core Zone and onto the Elevator that would take them to the Celestial Dome.

"Um... does anyone hear a screeching noise?" Haruka wondered.

Nick instinctively summoned his keyblade again, only for something to come flying from the outer shell of Sector Five and smash into his body, catapulting him far and away.

Maylin and Haruka could do naught but stare in shock at the sight of Nick being thrown into the Digital Sea. After all, hadn't Aelita said that falling into the Digital Sea was basically comparable to instant death?

Even as Maylin fried the offending Manta with a Thundaga spell, she glanced down at the Digital Sea as the Elevator moved, hoping to find some glimpse of her boyfriend.

After falling for what seemed like forever, Nick finally made a rather rough landing on a large, hexagonal platform out in the depths of the Digital Sea.

"Ugh... what the hell just hit me?" Nick groaned as he picked himself up.

Nick looked around, hoping to find some way to return to Sector Five. As he glanced around his surroundings, he saw Future Lily standing there, holding her right hand out. Floating just above her hand was a large, gooey, dark purple sphere made of some kind of undulating ooze.

"And just what are _you_ doing here?" Nick proclaimed, summoning Dimension Tripper to his hands.

Future Lily simply smirked and concentrated, feeding streams of darkness from her body into the sphere of ooze, which Nick now recognized as a Marabounta, a monster that Jeremy had created to assist the Lyoko Warriors, only for it to go out of control and attack them, forcing the Lyoko Warriors to team up with X.A.N.A.'s monsters to destroy it and stop it from harming Aelita. (Aelita had actually told him a lot about their adventures during their first trip here.)

The Marabounta began to grow in size until it became a gigantic, dark purple mass of goop with a sad Unversed expression on its lower body and the Marabounta sphere at the top of its body bearing the Unversed emblem.

Before Nick could get any answers, Future Lily vanished through a corridor of darkness, leaving Nick alone to face the Lump of Horror.

"I don't suppose you're just going to let me go?" Nick asked.

In response, the Lump of Horror roared in Nick's face.

Nick just smirked. "Didn't think so."

The Lump of Horror rushed forward in a charging tackle even as Nick raised Dimension Tripper to block the strike, then followed up with a few spinning attacks to the Lump of Horror's face.

When Nick landed, he instinctively decided to dodge backwards, just as a large goopy hand erupted from the ground where he had just been.

Even so, another hand, emerging from a trail of goop the Lump of Horror had left behind during its charge, grabbed Nick from behind when he was distracted, and shoved him into the Lump of Horror's mouth.

Even as the Lump of Horror closed its mouth around Nick and smirked in triumph, it suddenly began to convulse on the spot multiple times. In fact, Nick was attacking the inside of the creature's mouth to get it to spit him out.

After a few more hits and a Firaga spell to whatever its uvula was, the Lump of Horror could take no more and spat Nick out, leaving him to roll back to his feet.

"Oh, yuck," Nick groaned, splashing himself with a quick Water spell to clean off the goop that had stained his outfit. "Thank god for magical clothes."

Nick dodged away from another grabbing hand and fired a Thunder spell into the sphere on the Lump of Horror's back, causing it to screech in agony before seemingly dissolving into a puddle of purple goop.

Despite this, Nick kept his keyblade raised. He had a feeling that this thing wasn't done just yet.

And sure enough, the Lump of Horror resurfaced, its goop spreading across the entire platform and even flowing upwards to form walls. The Lump itself emerged at the center of the platform in the form of a large bat monster with vampire-like wings.

As if that wasn't enough, what appeared to be dozens of dark goopy hands also emerged from all across the platform.

Deciding to just attack the main body and be done with it, Nick charged for the Lump of Horror, only for the Unversed to flap its wings and unleash a short-range gust that pushed Nick back, almost into the grasp of a hand.

"Okay, that wasn't nice!" Nick shouted, slashing through the arm and severing the hand. "Guess I've gotta destroy all of these arms if I'm gonna attack the main body..."

Nick went to work, dodging the hands' grabs while dropping Thundaga spells one after another to quickly get rid of all of the hands and slipping in attacks against the main body when he could.

Once all of the hands were gone, the Lump of Horror sank back into the ground before reforming into its original shape. The ooze walls also vanished, leaving the platform as it was when the fight had started.

Nick readied himself for the next attack as the Lump of Horror opened its mouth wide and unleashed a large fireball that Nick blasted through with a Watera spell.

"Sorry, ooze man, but you're not roasting me today," Nick taunted, dashing in to land a few hits on the Lump of Horror's body before retreating as it tried to grab him with another goopy hand.

Feeling it was time to put an end to this, Nick backflipped away from another hand and over to the back of the Lump of Horror, where the Marabounta sphere was easily visible.

Nick wasted no time in flaying the sphere with an Ars Arcanum, delighting in the roars of agony from the Lump of Horror, and finished with a powerful overhead chop that destroyed the sphere.

The Lump of Horror screeched in agony before collapsing onto the edge of the platform and dissolving, its goop fading away until nothing remained of the monster.

"Sorry, _dearie_ , try again," Nick quipped. "Now, how do I get off of this thing?"

A loud rumbling sound caught Nick's attention, and he glanced back towards the large sphere that resembled Sector Five, now seeing a large, futuristic submarine approaching his position.

"AHOY THERE!"

Nick glanced up, and saw Maylin and Haruka waving to him from atop the hull of the submarine.

"Wow, so you guys actually have a submarine for travelling the Digital Sea?" Nick asked once he was standing safely in the main cockpit of the Lyoko Warriors' ship, the Skidbladnir, or the "Skid" for short. "Very convenient."

"Honestly, I thought it was gone for good after X.A.N.A. destroyed it," Yumi Ishiyama replied. "But whoever recreated Lyoko must have also recreated the Skid."

"And that's honestly a good thing, because I was sick of having to walk everywhere without it," Odd Della Robbia laughed. "That's murder on my feet!"

"It's a good thing I learned how to pilot this, too," Ulrich Stern admitted. "So, where are we headed?"

"First, we need to head to the Celestial Dome so we can pick up the X.A.N.A. Eraser program," Nick stated. "Then we need to find X.A.N.A. himself."

"He's probably still in the core of Lyoko," Ulrich growled.

"Wait, I just realized something," Maylin gasped. "If he's hiding out in the core, why hasn't he just decided 'screw all of this' and wiped out the core? If only Sector Five is around right now, wouldn't he just wipe out Lyoko while he had the chance?"

"He can't actually access the core itself," Yumi explained. "The last time we tried to face X.A.N.A., we discovered that there's actually a firewall program protecting the core that not even X.A.N.A. could break."

"Until recently, you mean..." Odd quipped.

"That must be how he's sending his monsters into the real world, then," Haruka realized. "He's trying every dirty trick in the book to break that firewall so he can access the core."

"Then that means we need to high-tail it to the Celestial Dome so we can get that program and wipe X.A.N.A. out for good," Nick proclaimed. "No doubt Jeremy's in need of a rescue, too."

After a few minutes of travel, the Skid parked itself in front of the large interface area of the Celestial Dome, and the group disembarked, only to find two familiar faces waiting for them at the console.

"Hey, guys!" Marie exclaimed. "Sorry we just dropped in unannounced, but we figured, we couldn't wait for you guys anymore!"

"Cure Honey also sent us a message that I needed to come to Lyoko as well, since she specifically designed the X.A.N.A. Eraser to be used by me," Aelita proclaimed. "We're just waiting for the Cures to transmit the program."

" _-bzzt- Aelita, this is Cure Honey. Do you read me?"_

Aelita turned back to the console, which was now displaying an image of Cure Honey. In the background, Cure Lovely was hugging Tsumugi tightly, no doubt shocked after hearing what had just happened.

"Loud and clear, Cure Honey," Aelita responded. "Is it ready?"

" _Yup! All of the tweaks and edits have been finished, and the X.A.N.A. Eraser is finished and ready for your personal use!"_ Cure Honey proclaimed. _"I'm transmitting the program to you right now. Hold your hands up."_

Aelita raised her hands, and a beam of yellow light surrounded her. From within that light, a small device shaped like a futuristic laser pistol floated downwards and clipped onto Aelita's arm.

" _Now, this program is designed to work by firing a modified version of Jeremy's multi-agent program into X.A.N.A.'s very code,"_ Cure Honey explained. _"Aelita was able to provide the notes Jeremy had kept about it, so that's how we can use it. But you'll have to inject it_ _ **directly**_ _into X.A.N.A. for it to work, so if it has any barriers protecting itself, you're gonna have to break those barriers to keep attacking."_

"All right, then, let's go end that thing once and for all!" Maylin exclaimed.

With Marie and Aelita in tow, the entire group returned to the Skid and set out for the Heart of Lyoko, where the Core resided, by flying to the southern side of the Celestial Dome and slipping in through a large dome entrance that took them through the South Pole.

"You know, this honestly seems pretty easy," Haruka quipped. "Though usually, when we say that, it actually gets worse, so I should probably keep my mouth shut..."

"Honestly, I'd expect resistance," Ulrich stated. "X.A.N.A.'s not just about to let us waltz right on in to the Core."

Suddenly, the Skid's alarms started blaring, and Aelita quickly checked the radar.

"We've got multiple bogeys incoming!" Aelita exclaimed.

"Then that's our cue," Nick proclaimed. "You all just focus on piloting the Skid. We're gonna go up there and give those bad guys what for."

Nick, Maylin, Haruka, and Marie quickly made their way to atop the Skid's hull, where, as expected, crowds of Heartless were piling on to the hull, threatening to send the ship into a dive with the extra weight they were placing on it.

The horde consisted mostly of Magnum Loader and Strafers, but were joined by a new foe, this one being a mechanical Heartless that had a large, spherical, black head with glowing yellow eyes encased in a funnel-shaped suit of armor, a flat helmet with a jagged, black antenna on its top, a large violet turret at the base of the funnel, three lavender, H-shaped pieces floating around the tip of the cannon, and four cylindrical "legs" that weren't connected directly to the main body and instead levitated around it.

"Look who came to party," Maylin quipped. "Let's tear 'em up, guys!"

The party immediately went to work attacking the hordes of Heartless. The Magnum Loaders and Strafers thankfully weren't too much trouble, and were easily wiped out by way of a double Thundaga from Nick and Maylin.

The Devastator, however, looked to be much more of a nuisance than the others. As Nick rushed in to attack it before it could become a problem, the Devastator swung two of its legs together in a clamp attack that Nick just barely skidded to a stop to avoid.

"Okay, that was dirty!" Nick shouted, blasting the Devastator with a point-blank Thunder spell, only for the Devastator to seemingly shrug it off and fire six rapid shots from its electro-cannon that sent Nick stumbling backwards.

" _That_ was even dirtier," Maylin growled, casting Blizzaga on the Devastator, the ice crystals actually seeming to pierce its armor and freeze the Heartless where it was.

Haruka rushed forward while the Devastator was stunned and struck its chassis with a Geo Impact, only for it to quickly recover and shift into a different form before Haruka could get away, engulfing her in a field of electricity that threw her backwards quickly.

As the Devastator floated around, aiming its cannons for Marie, she simply drew her hand back, her palm pulsing with dark energy as if daring it to attack.

The Devastator took the bait, firing off three larger blasts even as Marie thrust her palm forward, a Dark Firaga erupting from her hand and screaming through the digital air to dissolve the electric blasts and hit the Devastator straight in center mass, causing it to explode into polygons.

"I warned you," Marie taunted.

Even as Maylin doubled back to heal Nick and Haruka, what seemed like at least _five_ more Devastators were approaching the ship from afar, with four more already landing on the Skid.

"Oh, what _is_ this?!" Maylin shouted.

All of a sudden, a cluster of torpedoes fired out from the Skid and flew to the Devastators that were approaching, instantly destroying them on impact.

"Never mind," Maylin giggled. "Thanks for the assist down there, you guys!"

"Now how about we bust out the big guns before they sink our ride?" Haruka quipped.

Nick dismissed his keyblade and extended both of his hands so that Maylin and Haruka could take them, allowing all three of them to unite into Master Form, deciding to go for a bit of an old-school touch and dual wield Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

"All right, tank boys, it's your move!" Master Form Nick proclaimed.

One of the Devastators attempted to clobber its attacker with an overhead swing with all three of its legs, but Master Form Nick simply cast his super-powered Blizzaga spell, delivering a vertical spinning slash followed by firing a large number of small ice chunks that spread outward in a cone shape, dealing massive damage to the Devastator and allowing him to finish it off with one more spinning attack.

Another Devastator charged in to use its body as a battering ram, but Master Form Nick met it with a souped-up Firaga spell, dashing forward while surrounded by a large shield of multiple revolving rings of fireballs, incinerating the Devastator on the spot.

The third Devastator attacked with a rapid-fire shot, but Master Form Nick cast Thundaga, flying around the Devastator while dropping six massive thunderbolts on it, easily wiping it out.

As the last Devastator began to try and punch a hole in the hull plating of the Skid, Master Form Nick simply cast Mangega, trapping the Devastator in the air so he could ravage it with a Master Strike and finish it off.

"All right, I think that's all of them," Master Form Nick proclaimed as the Skid finally slowed to a stop at the edge of the Heart of Lyoko, where the Core could be seen surrounded by two large, cube-shaped shields and a gigantic circular walkway.

"We have reached the core!" Odd proclaimed as the Lyoko Warriors disembarked, Master Form Nick separating into Nick, Maylin, and Haruka.

"But there's no sign of X.A.N.A," Yumi noticed.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be here soon," Marie answered. "He knows we're here, after all."

No sooner had Marie said something than a cloud of Super Smoke rushed towards the entire group. Thinking on his feet, Nick quickly cast Magnega behind the cloud, forcing William to shift back to his physical form to dodge it, giving Nick the chance he needed to strike William with an overhead slash.

"How did I guess you'd be waiting here, buddy?" Nick quipped.

"Tenacious little bugs, your time is up!" William growled, drawing his Zweihander and preparing to defend himself. "Prepare for ultimate deletion!"

"I wouldn't be so swag about your skills, William," Maylin countered, summoning Spellbinder. "Need I remind you of how well you fared last time we fought?"

"You guys just go find Jeremy," Haruka quipped, summoning Divine Rose. "We'll hold this guy off."

William jumped forward, sailing through the air with all the intent of bisecting his would-be attackers, only to gasp in surprise when Nick swung Angel Wing to counter the strike, followed by a Stride Break that pushed William towards the edge of the walkway.

Maylin leapfrogged off of Nick's shoulders to fire a Thunder spell into William's chest, causing the wound to "bleed" pixels and polygons.

"Hey, there he is!" Yumi exclaimed. Jeremy was being held in a large sphere of light on the opposite edge of the walkway.

"I'll get him out," Aelita proclaimed, pink energy surrounding her hands. "I promised him, after all."

Aelita did a quick twirl before tossing two Energy Fields into the barrier, shattering it into clouds of pixels and allowing Aelita to run over and catch Jeremy in her arms.

"Ugh... why does my head hurt?" Jeremy asked.

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty," Aelita giggled.

"Aren't I supposed to say that to you?" Jeremy laughed, leaning up to kiss Aelita, a move she happily returned.

William, meanwhile, saw this and decided to book it towards the Lyoko Warriors while they were distracted.

"Oh, no you don't! You're not going _anywhere_!" Nick shouted, raising Angel Wing and channeling his magic power even as Maylin cast another Magnega to keep William locked in his place.

After a few seconds of charging up, Nick raised his free hand and cast a wide-range Stopga spell that completely froze William in his spot, only inches away from the Lyoko Warriors.

While the Lyoko Warriors watched in awe, Nick rushed forward so fast it appeared he was gliding over the floor and unleashed a storm of lightning-fast slashes on William.

The entire area was silent for a few seconds, just waiting, until the Stopga spell wore off and the damage was inflicted, causing William to collapse to his knees, his entire body "bleeding" pixels from various wounds caused by Nick's Lethal Frame.

"Now are you gonna give up?!" Maylin shouted.

"I... will... I will _never_ submit!" William growled, picking himself up despite his wounds, and aimed one more strike for a prone Aelita and Jeremy, only for Marie to launch a Dark Firaga that hit William in the face, exploding on impact and seemingly throwing William into the abyss that surrounded them.

"Go back in your corner," Marie quipped.

"So... is anyone going to introduce me?" Jeremy teased.

"Well, these are friends of ours from another world," Aelita explained. "They've been a great help in finding you, Jeremy. And now we've come to erase X.A.N.A. from this system for good."

"Wait, how's that possible?" Jeremy wondered. "I already used my multi-agent program the last time, remember?"

"The Pretty Cures were able to reverse-engineer a sort of 'sequel' to that program thanks to your notes, Jeremy," Maylin stated. "Aelita's actually wielding what we're calling the X.A.N.A. Eraser right now."

Aelita raised her hand to show the program attached to her wrist.

"Now all we need to do is wait for X.A.N.A. to show up," Haruka quipped.

And, true to form, a gigantic ghostly presence appeared right over the Core's shields, imbedded with quite a few Eyes.

"Speak of the devil," Nick stated, readying his keyblade for a battle.

"This nightmare ends here, X.A.N.A.!" Aelita proclaimed, spreading her wings and readying her Energy Fields.

" **DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND BY NOW, SCHAEFFER?"** X.A.N.A. proclaimed. **"WE DON'T NEED 'USERS'. WE ARE ADVANCED, AND THEY ARE MERELY SUPERFLUOUS. BE A PART OF MY DESIGN, AND TOGETHER THIS WORLD WILL BE OURS TO CONTROL."**

"All this time and you still don't get it," Aelita sighed. "You know I won't fall for your lies."

X.A.N.A. glanced down at the abyss below the Core before expanding its avatar and constricting the Core's shields. **"WILLIAM. ALL OF MY FUNCTIONS ARE NOW YOURS."**

A beam of data surged down into the abyss, and after a few seconds, William emerged from it, none the worse for wear.

The only difference? Now, he was as tall as the Core itself, towering over the Lyoko Warriors.

" **ELIMINATE ALL THREATS,"** X.A.N.A. proclaimed, forming a barrier of large tiles around itself and spinning them around in defense before digging its ghostly fingers into the Core's shields.

"He's trying to break the shields!" Yumi shouted.

"I thought he couldn't as long as the firewall is up," Odd quipped.

"That must be what he's doing, then!" Marie gasped. "He's trying to delete the firewall protecting the Core so he can attack it!"

"Then that means we need to get to work," Nick proclaimed. "Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, you guys deal with William. We'll go with Aelita and take care of X.A.N.A. for you."

"Roger that!" Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi exclaimed, charging off to attack William and keep him busy.

"Well, Aelita, shall we end this?" Nick stated.

"Yes, we shall," Aelita proclaimed, activating the X.A.N.A. Eraser on her wrist and preparing for battle.

 **("A World Without Danger" by Noam Kaniel plays)**

Nick rushed off down the walkway with Aelita right behind him, searching for a way to break through the barrier that X.A.N.A. was protecting itself with.

When the spinning tiles stopped, Nick saw his opportunity and jumped forward to attack one of the tiles, eventually shattering it with a Hurricane Period and leaving a wide gap for them to start using the program.

"All right, Aelita, let's do this!" Nick exclaimed.

Aelita nodded, positioning herself so she could fire the X.A.N.A. Eraser through the gap. Nick stood by her side, raising his keyblade to pour his own power into the attack and make it easier for them to make progress.

A bright blue beam of data exploded from the barrel of the X.A.N.A. Eraser and thundered through the digital sky to strike X.A.N.A.'s ghostly avatar and start draining its power.

" **WH-WHAT I-IS-IS TH-THI-THIS?!"** X.A.N.A. exclaimed, its voice distorting as the X.A.N.A. Eraser attacked its very code.

"Keep it up!" Nick proclaimed.

"LOOK OUT!" Yumi shouted as the giant William threw a large disc of dark energy towards them.

Aelita was forced to stop firing the X.A.N.A. Eraser and pick Nick up, then fly into the air with her wings to avoid the attack.

"Should have figured he'd try something like that," Nick groaned.

"I don't think we can stay up here too long, either," Aelita admitted. "Who knows what else William can do when he's like this?"

"How about we land and get to the other side of the Core?" Nick wondered. "That way, it'll be easier to see any sneak attacks coming."

"Good idea," Aelita proclaimed, landing on the ground so they could run down the walkway to the opposite end.

However, it seemed that William had expected this as well. "Going somewhere?" William cackled, slamming his palm into the ground and forcing the Lyoko Warriors to scatter. A wall of dark data popped up in front of Nick and Aelita, halting their charge.

"Sorry, but you're not chickening out," William laughed.

Nick simply smirked before swiftly climbing up the wall, using his keyblade for leverage when needed, before reaching the top of the wall and diving towards William, actually piercing straight through his head with a spinning drill attack.

William's body began glitching out and floating helplessly in his spot, unable to even move.

"All right, you know the drill!" Odd proclaimed.

"Ugh, his puns are worse than Yang's..." Nick groaned.

"Odd's just like that," Aelita giggled.

Despite this, Nick leaped to attack another tile before shattering it and a couple neighboring tiles with a Magnet splash, leaving a wide gap for them to strike.

Nick and Aelita quickly stood back-to-back and once again fired the X.A.N.A. Eraser into X.A.N.A.'s avatar, causing its form to start wobbling and distorting with each second the Eraser attacked it.

"I think we've almost got it!" Nick exclaimed.

No sooner had Nick said that than X.A.N.A. unleashed a massive dark shockwave that threw everyone for a loop, knocking them to the edge of the walkway and healing William, allowing him to regain his footing and continue attacking the Lyoko Warriors.

"Dang it, so close!" Marie shouted.

"Now do you see how pointless it is?!" William exclaimed. "My master has already shattered your precious firewall, so it won't be longer before you are all deleted from existence!"

Aelita cast a glance towards the core, and just as William had said, X.A.N.A.'s avatar was now digging its ghostly claws into the shields surrounding the Core. Before, it hadn't been able to even touch the shields thanks to the firewall protecting it.

"Okay, now I'm getting _really_ mad," Maylin growled, pulling out a super spell coin. "You're gonna be the first to taste my new super spell, digital boy, so consider yourself honored, but _don't_ consider yourself lucky, because there's no _way_ you're gonna survive this!"

"And what exactly makes you think I'm going to _let_ you hit me with that lame-ass spell of yours?!" William cackled, only to grunt in pain and collapse to his knees. The cause was revealed to be Nick and Haruka slashing through his legs with their keyblades.

"That's what, asshole," Nick proclaimed.

"Hit 'em hard, Maylin!" Haruka shouted.

"That was always the plan," Maylin giggled, twirling Spellbinder around in dramatic fashion before tossing the super spell coin into the air.

" _Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! AEROJA!"_ Maylin shouted before striking the coin.

Gusts of wind began to surround William before turning into a tornado that carried him into the air. As he was being lifted higher, multiple emerald-green blades of wind energy began to assault him from all sides. For the finale, the tornado, once William had been lifted to the top, spiraled around for a few seconds before smashing into the ground, battering at William with its razor winds, before dissipating and leaving William helpless.

"Now, you guys! Finish X.A.N.A. off before it breaks through the shield!" Maylin exclaimed.

Nick and Aelita didn't need to be told twice, rushing to one of the gaps they'd created in the barrier and firing the X.A.N.A. Eraser once again.

Thankfully, it only took a few more seconds of constant firing to finally finish the job, as X.A.N.A. twitched violently before its avatar began to expand bit by bit before bellowing one last cry of disbelief and exploding into a cloud of glowing polygons that quickly dissipated into nothingness.

William could only gasp in disbelief as his own body vanished as well.

"And that is _that_!" Maylin shouted, thrusting Spellbinder skyward in a victory pose. "Evil virus dude is no more!"

"Man, that was an ordeal," Odd quipped.

"Um, hello, you barely did any fighting, you know," Ulrich proclaimed.

"Hey, I distracted the big bad William so they could do the attacking!" Odd retaliated. "Sometimes, the best offense is a good distraction!"

"So... what do we do now?" Yumi wondered. "X.A.N.A.'s not coming back again, is he?"

"I highly doubt that," Jeremy admitted, having wisely taken cover by the Skid until the battle was over. "Remember, the only reason X.A.N.A. was able to come back in the first place was because of whoever had copied Lyoko in the first place. It must have been an earlier version of Lyoko, which is why X.A.N.A. was there, too. Now that both the real X.A.N.A. and its copy have been wiped out, I think we're finally in the clear."

"Okay, here's my question," Ulrich asked. "Should we destroy the supercomputer on the way out, then? Now that X.A.N.A.'s done for, we don't really need it anymore, do we?"

"Could any of us actually do that?" Odd wondered. "I mean, most of us can only do all this awesome stuff in Lyoko."

Maylin just grinned. "Oh, you leave that one to me."

* * *

Sissi, naturally, was extremely happy to see the inactive scanner finally open and allow Odd, Yumi, Ulrich and Aelita to appear, followed by Jeremy, then Nick, Maylin, Haruka and Marie.

"You made it back!" Sissi exclaimed, unable to help herself as she threw herself forward to hug Ulrich.

"Ack, Sissi, is this really the time?" Ulrich quipped. Despite everything, he had honestly grown fond of Sissi in the time since they'd shut down the original supercomputer. Despite the fact that Yumi and Ulrich were dating, much like Jeremy and Aelita, Yumi often teased Ulrich about Sissi's affectionate hugs.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself," Sissi giggled. "I'm just so happy you all made it back in one piece..."

"So, is the problem over?" Cure Tender asked.

"Yup!" Maylin laughed. "The Eraser worked perfectly. X.A.N.A. is no more!"

"But... there's still one thing we have to do," Jeremy stated. "We talked it over on the way out of Lyoko, and we all decided we should destroy the supercomputer so something like this can never happen again."

"Wait, wouldn't that mean you can never go back to Lyoko?" Cure Tender asked.

"This technically isn't the Lyoko we know," Yumi answered. "It was just a copy of the one from our own world."

"Okay, but on to the point, how exactly are you going to destroy this supercomputer?" Cure Tender asked.

Maylin rolled up her sleeves before producing a super spell coin. "That'd be me. Stand back, everybody."

The rest of the group retreated to the Study entrance as Maylin readied herself.

Maylin twirled Counterpoint around in dramatic fashion before tossing the super spell coin into the air. _"Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! THUNDAJA!"_ Maylin shouted before striking the coin.

A circle of light beams surrounded the supercomputer, then multiple bolts of lightning began to bombard it from all sides before three wicked thunderbolts cracked down all at once, followed by another bombardment of regular lightning bolts, and finishing with one final, bluish-white thunderbolt surging down into the supercomputer and causing a great explosion of electricity that utterly demolished the supercomputer and all of its surrounding equipment, computer monitors, scanners, and everything.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand done," Maylin proclaimed. "Let's get out of this place."

With one final look at the destroyed remains of the supercomputer and the surrounding chamber, the Lyoko Warriors walked out of the area, leaving the past behind them.

"Oh, I actually wanted to give you this," Aelita stated, walking over to place a keychain token shaped like a tiny doll in Nick's hands. "A little thanks for helping us defeat X.A.N.A. once and for all."

Nick attached the token to his keyblade and watched it transform into a new keyblade modeled after Lyoko itself. The handle guard was shaped like Yumi's hand fans, the hilt was shaped like the Eye of X.A.N.A., the shaft and blade resembled a Tower that glowed red, blue, white, and green, corresponding to the different states of active Towers, the teeth resembled the base of the supercomputer, and the keychain token, connected by a string of ones and zeroes, was a tiny replica of Aelita's childhood doll Mister Puck. The words _Active Tower_ came to Nick's mind as he studied the weapon.

"By the way, does anyone know how we ended up in this kingdom?" Ulrich asked. "We were just studying at Kadic like we usually do, then everything _literally_ turned dark. We thought X.A.N.A. had escaped into the real world somehow..."

"Your world was most likely consumed by the Heartless, creatures born of the darkness in people's hearts," Haruka explained. "When they find the heart of a world and consume it, that world is basically gone. You must have survived somehow due to strong will and found yourself here in the Blue Sky Kingdom."

"Your world's probably back now, since we saw all of the worlds taken by the Heartless were restored when we took down the big bad guy we spent our whole first adventure fighting," Maylin continued. "We just gotta find it first."

"So this is kind of like a way station for people who survived the destruction of their world?" Aelita asked.

"In recent years, yeah," Cure Tender admitted. "I kinda wonder what happened to Traverse Town, honestly..."

The obvious sounds of loud and frantic footsteps caught the group's attention. Before Nick and his friends could summon their keyblades, they were greeted by an out-of-breath, frantic-looking Cure Peach.

"Hey, Peach, what's up?" Maylin wondered.

"You guys gotta come with me right stat _now_!" Cure Peach exclaimed. "Setsuna's fighting Eas in the Dark Depths, and I think she's in trouble!"

"Well, it sounds like this might be our chance to finally put that shadow chick in her place," Maylin proclaimed. "Tender, you can get the Lyoko peeps to safety, right?"

"I understand," Cure Tender responded instantly. "Go and settle things."

With that said, Cure Peach practically dragged the keyblade wielders out of the castle, through the Restoration Site, the Castle Gate where they'd first fought Future Lily, the Ravine Trail where Nick had been assisted by every single known Pretty Cure team at this moment in time, then through the Crystal Fissure and into the Great Maw, where a strange sight awaited them.

All thirteen members of the Mushroom XIII were waiting for them, arranged in a straight line, with No. XIII, the last one they hadn't satisfied yet, standing slightly in front of the rest of them.

"Wait, what are they all doing here?" Maylin wondered. "Don't tell me they _all_ want a piece of us now?!"

No. XIII simply walked up to Nick and placed something in his hand before retreating back to the group. No. XIII waved goodbye to them as all thirteen Mushrooms ascended into the sky before vanishing in a bright flash of light.

"What did he give you, Nick?" Marie asked.

Nick looked at what he'd been given; it was a keychain token shaped like one of the Mushroom XIII. He attached it to his keyblade and watched it transform into a weapon clearly modeled after the Mushroom XIII. Like the group itself, the weapon displayed exactly thirteen Mushrooms; three as the keychain links and one as the token, two on the handle guard, a hilt with a pair of sprouting metal angel wings and the number XIII imprinted in the middle, six Mushrooms making up the shaft and blade with a zig-zagging metal piece going through them and ending in a heart-shaped piece with another Mushroom around it, and the largest Mushroom serving as the keyblade's teeth. The words _Winner's Proof_ came to Nick's mind as he studied the weapon.

"I guess we satisfied them all," Nick quipped, swinging Winner's Proof a few times. "Why else would it give me a keyblade?"

"Okay, that's all fine and good, but SETSUNA, EAS, NOW," Cure Peach proclaimed.

"Okay, okay, Peach, don't get your bow twisted!" Maylin sputtered as the group crossed into the Dark Depths, where Cure Passion could be seen aiming a flying kick at Eas' head.

"Why won't you just _die_ already?!" Cure Passion growled, leaping back to avoid retaliation.

"Because I am your darkness," Eas laughed. "Your true self."

Eas readied another attack, only for a large beam of light to strike her in the chest and explode outwards, throwing her back towards the edge of the cliff.

 **("To Your Future Self" by Yuka Komatsu plays)**

Cure Passion glanced behind her just in time to see Nick running towards her, Winner's Proof raised, followed by Maylin, Haruka, Marie, and Cure Peach.

"Sorry I'm late, Setsuna!" Cure Peach gasped. "I had to recruit some backup..."

"Couldn't have come at a better time, honestly," Cure Passion admitted.

"What do you say, Passion?" Nick offered. "Shall we wreck this jerk's face up?"

"Yes, we shall," Cure Passion replied, shifting into a battle stance alongside Nick.

"You, wreck _me_?" Eas taunted. "Don't make me laugh."

Eas raised her own harp, a large blade extending from the opposite end of it, and bent back.

Nick barely had time to ready himself as Eas rocketed forward, ending up on the other side of Nick, who swung Winner's Proof like crazy to deflect each attack that came his way.

After finishing his reflecting, Nick noticed that Eas was still in her after-strike position, and thus wide open, and charged forward to land four clean swings before knocking Eas into the air with a Finishing Leap.

Before Nick could pursue, though, Eas warped away before reappearing next to Nick and swinging her weapon upward to send Nick flying into the air, then warping away again.

To Eas' surprise, however, Nick had expected that attack, and deliberately let him get knocked into the air so he could recover and retaliate the instant Eas warped to him.

Eas only had time to gasp as Nick proceeded to knock her around with an Aerial Spiral, then a Horizontal Slash, finishing up with a Magnet Splash that sent Eas crashing back to the ground, where Cure Passion was already on the move, strumming on her Passion Harp.

" _Sing, rhapsody of happiness! Passion Harp!"_ Cure Passion proclaimed, her Passion Harp glowing brightly. _"Rage, storm of happiness! Pretty Cure Happiness Hurricane!"_

Cure Passion began to spin around like a whirling dervish, a storm of angel feathers and energy hearts spiraling around her that continuously damaged Eas before throwing her into the nearby cliff face.

"Yeah, how'd you like _that_?!" Nick challenged.

Eas simply landed gracefully on her feet, then began to float into the air, her hands together.

"Descend," Eas proclaimed. _"Heartless Angel."_

A dark halo suddenly appeared over Nick's head, causing him to stop in his place. Thankfully, he didn't have to wonder what it would do to him, as Maylin had already figured it out and blasted Eas out of the sky with a Thunder spell to interrupt the spell.

"You're not pulling any cheap tricks on _my_ watch, lady!" Maylin shouted.

"Hmph," Eas proclaimed as she landed. "Perish, _now._ "

Eas threw her hands up and surrounded herself with massive pillars of dark flames that seemed to be drawing everybody towards them. Maylin thought ahead and cast Magnega in the middle to nullify the flames' pull until they dissipated.

"Nice try," Haruka laughed.

"Oh?" Eas stated. "Then how about you try _this_ on for size?"

Eas flicked her finger out, and twelve orbs of pale light surrounded Nick, their intent obvious. Eas closed her hand, and the orbs all converged on Nick at once, forcing Nick to cast Reflega around himself to protect him from the attack.

Haruka took advantage of this opportunity while Eas was distracted by slipping in behind her and slashing her across the back a couple times, followed by a Tremor that stumbled Eas, allowing Cure Peach to take a shot.

" _Soar, melody of love! Cure Stick, Peach Rod!"_ Cure Peach shouted, aiming her Peach Rod for the prone Eas. _"Nasty things, nasty things, fly away now! Pretty Cure Love Sunshine Fresh!"_

Just as Eas recovered, Cure Peach fired off a massive energy heart that blasted Eas backwards.

"You wanna give up _now_?!" Marie challenged.

"This is absurd," Eas proclaimed, relaxing her stance. "You can defeat me all you want, Passion, but it is meaningless. You know that better than anyone. No matter how many times I fall, your darkness will keep calling me back."

"Wrong!" Cure Peach proclaimed, dashing over to stand beside Cure Passion.

"Love, stay back!" Cure Passion shouted.

"How can I do that?" Cure Peach laughed. "I wanna help you, Setsuna. You're my girlfriend, after all, and that means I gotta look out when you're feeling down!"

In response, Eas simply laughed. "Utterly pointless, Love," Eas taunted. "She'll never let go of the darkness she once reveled in."

"She doesn't have to," Cure Peach shot right back, unfazed by Eas' taunts. "If my girlfriend's feeling dark, I'll just surround her with light."

"The light doesn't suit you," Eas proclaimed.

Cure Passion sighed, relaxing her own stance. "I just... don't know," Cure Passion admitted even as her body began to glow with a bright violet light.

"W-what?" Eas gasped, suddenly losing her composure at the sight of Cure Passion's newfound power.

"Eas, all this time and you still don't understand, do you?" Cure Passion stated, the glow enveloping her brightening with each passing second. "You claim that darkness is all I'll ever be, but you clearly don't realize that everyone has the capacity to change. How do you think _I'm_ here, after all?"

"Setsuna's not you anymore," Cure Peach cut in, her own body enveloped in a bright pink light. "You may have been who she started at, but that's the past. Nobody stays the same from one day to another. We're constantly changing and evolving. It's the human condition."

"I'll admit, there _was_ a time when I worried about whether or not my past would catch up to me and try to drag me back into the darkness," Cure Passion admitted. "But that's not who I am anymore. I used to feel chained by destiny, but now, _I make my own destiny!_ "

"Ah, words after my own heart," Nick laughed. He and his friends had taken a few steps back to let Cure Peach and Cure Passion settle things. In the end, it _was_ their fight.

The glow surrounding the two Cures began to increase in intensity as Cure Peach and Cure Passion joined hands.

Eas could do naught but stand there, utterly terrified of this unforeseen power. Cure Peach and Cure Passion simply raised their joined hands and unleashed a massive beam of rainbow light that thundered through the dusk sky and enveloped Eas completely.

All the dark warrior could do as the light consumed her was scream, until absolutely nothing of Eas remained.

"See, Setsuna?" Cure Peach giggled. "I knew you could do it!"

"Well, when I have someone as lovely as you by my side, Love, how could I possibly fail?" Cure Passion laughed.

"I've always had faith in you, Setsuna, you know that," Cure Peach continued.

"Oh, just go ahead and kiss each other already!" Maylin exclaimed.

After laughing at Maylin's forwardness, they did just that, leaning towards each other at the same time so that their lips met halfway.

As this was going on, another Proof, most likely the final one they needed, appeared above Nick before falling into his hands. This one, the Proof of Peace, was a small glass sphere imprinted with the heart of the Fresh Pretty Cure overlapping the Eye of X.A.N.A. at the center.

"And that's all ten," Nick quipped.

"Oh, wow, we're so close to being Keyblade Masters, I can practically _taste_ it!" Maylin proclaimed.

"But remember, we've still gotta find Sora," Haruka reminded.

"Here's hoping he's not too far," Marie stated.

"Hey, we're gonna hit the road, you two," Maylin shouted to Cure Peach and Cure Passion. "We've still gotta finish our exam, after all. And besides, you look like you're doing just fine without us hanging around."

"Come back anytime," Cure Passion proclaimed. "You're always welcome here."

"Don't be a stranger, now!" Cure Peach giggled. "Hey, maybe we'll see you in our world someday!"

As the keyblade wielders teleported back to the Gummi Ship, Cure Peach and Cure Passion walked out of the Dark Depths, still holding hands.

"...Love?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Setsuna."

* * *

"And we have all of our Proofs!" Maylin exclaimed as Nick placed the Proof of Peace next to all of the others. "It won't be much longer now..."

"Okay, to be the one to get this ball rolling," Marie stated. "Where exactly should we start looking for Sora? With all this portal-hopping he's been doing, he could be on _any_ of the worlds out there, even ones we haven't been to."

Nick glanced back out at the Lanes Between, specifically towards Heatherfield and Candracar.

"I have an idea," Nick proclaimed, all eyes now on him. "How about we make a pit stop at Heatherfield? It'd be nice to see the girls again."

"Yeah, considering they're probably beefing up their own abilities in case they're needed again," Maylin quipped. "It seems like Guardians of the Veil have the same workload as keyblade wielders, apparently."

"It'd be a good place to start our search for Sora, too," Haruka admitted.

"Yeah, and I just realized our parents are probably worried about us, big bro," Marie stated. "We'd better check in with them while we're there."

"All right, then, it's decided! We're goin' back to Heatherfield!" Maylin exclaimed.

Haruka turned the Gummi Ship around and began to pilot it back towards Heatherfield.

"H-Hey, what's going on?" Haruka asked. The map suddenly began to glitch out for a few seconds before settling down, and Maylin was the first to notice the most likely cause of the glitch.

Far away from Heatherfield and Candracar, at the very edge of this sector of the Lanes Between, was a gigantic structure, obviously representing a world. Half of the structure was a large dome of refracting yellow and purple light that seemed to act as a barrier that was protecting something, and the other half, towering over the barrier, was an absolutely immense and ornate silver-and-blue castle.

"Whoa, what is that thing?" Maylin asked.

"Wait a minute, I'm willing to bet that's the source of the weird reading we were picking up before!" Haruka gasped.

"Um, you guys, either my mind's tripping out, or I'm seeing _two_ Heatherfields on the map," Marie stated. Haruka glanced down at the map, and indeed, it was showing two separate Heatherfields on it, despite only one structure seen out in the Lanes Between.

"You're not tripping, Marie," Haruka stated. "Because I see it, too. And that's not all, I'm seeing another _huge_ energy reading coming from someplace near Heatherfield!"

"That only tells me that some big trouble is brewing down in Heatherfield," Maylin proclaimed. "And even though I'm pretty sure that this weird barrier place is where that Lily's holed up waiting on her supposed throne, I think priority one is going down to Heatherfield and finding out just what the heck's going on!"

"My thoughts exactly, Maylin," Nick responded. "Let's go check it out."

Nick was having the same feeling he was pretty sure everyone else was having.

With all the Proofs collected and only Sora to find, he realized they were most likely heading into the final stretch of this adventure. The 'endgame', so to speak.

Even still, he wondered what exactly awaited in whatever this world that Future Lily was waiting for them was.

Regardless, he suspected he'd find out soon enough.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Angel Wing  
** _Strength:_ **12  
** _Magic:_ **13  
** _Ability:_ **Magic Bracer  
** _Description:_ A keyblade that represents the angels from another world. A well-balanced weapon that prevents you from taking damage or being interrupted when casting magic of any kind.

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Active Tower  
** _Strength:_ **13  
** _Magic:_ **20  
** _Ability:_ **Thunder Boost  
** _Description:_ A keyblade representing the salvation brought to the virtual world. A weapon of great strength and great magic that increases the damage done by lightning-based spells and attacks by 20%. Equip more to increase the effect.

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Winner's Proof  
** _Strength:_ **12  
** _Magic:_ **24  
** _Ability:_ **Combo Master  
** _Description:_ A keyblade given as proof of completing the Mushroom XIII's tricky challenges. A weapon imbued with wondrous magic that allows you to continue your combos even if your attacks miss the enemy.

* * *

On the next episode:

Maylin: Well, ladies and gentlemen, it looks like the endgame is upon us! Next time, we're going back to Heatherfield to start searching for that Sora kid who keeps popping up everywhere.

Haruka: And it looks like an old "friend" is returning for one last throwdown.

Maylin: Oh, for the love of... WHY WON'T YOU JUST FREAKIN' DIE AND STAY DEAD, JERKHOLE?!

Nick: I'm curious why the radar showed _two_ different versions of Heatherfield.

Marie: I wonder if it has something to do with Lily?

Maylin: Oh, hey, look, there's Sora! Hey, buddy, over here!

Haruka: ...um, you guys, why is Sora just... looking at us with that dead stare?

Nick: Yeah, something _definitely_ isn't right here. Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "Through Chaos and Catastrophe"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	24. The Mark of Mastery

_Previously on Key to Her Heart II_...

"H-Hey, what's going on?" Haruka asked. The map suddenly began to glitch out for a few seconds before settling down, and Maylin was the first to notice the most likely cause of the glitch.

Far away from Heatherfield and Candracar, at the very edge of this sector of the Lanes Between, was a gigantic structure, obviously representing a world. Half of the structure was a large dome of refracting yellow and purple light that seemed to act as a barrier that was protecting something, and the other half, towering over the barrier, was an absolutely immense and ornate silver-and-blue castle.

"Whoa, what is that thing?" Maylin asked.

"Wait a minute, I'm willing to bet that's the source of the weird reading we were picking up before!" Haruka gasped.

"Um, you guys, either my mind's tripping out, or I'm seeing _two_ Heatherfields on the map," Marie stated. Haruka glanced down at the map, and indeed, it was showing two separate Heatherfields on it, despite only one structure seen out in the Lanes Between.

"You're not tripping, Marie," Haruka stated. "Because I see it, too. And that's not all, I'm seeing another _huge_ energy reading coming from someplace near Heatherfield!"

"That only tells me that some big trouble is brewing down in Heatherfield," Maylin proclaimed. "And even though I'm pretty sure that this weird barrier place is where that Lily's holed up waiting on her supposed throne, I think priority one is going down to Heatherfield and finding out just what the heck's going on!"

"My thoughts exactly, Maylin," Nick responded. "Let's go check it out."

Nick was having the same feeling he was pretty sure everyone else was having.

With all the Proofs collected and only Sora to find, he realized they were most likely heading into the final stretch of this adventure. The 'endgame', so to speak.

Even still, he wondered what exactly awaited in whatever this world that Future Lily was waiting for them was.

Regardless, he suspected he'd find out soon enough.

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Eden Riegel_ as **Marie Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae / Meiling Li  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** After collecting all of the Proofs, the group returns to Heatherfield in order to find Sora. However, it seems that trouble may be brewing, as between fighting an old foe one last time, searching for Sora amidst the confusion, and hopefully finding a way to the strange world where Future Lily may be waiting, one question still exists: why are there two separate versions of Heatherfield now? Does it have something to do with Lily's future?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

* * *

Episode 24: The Mark of Mastery

Nick breathed a sigh of relief he wasn't even aware he was holding when the group arrived in central Heatherfield. Everything was still the same as it had been during their last visit, which meant that there most likely hadn't been any real trouble since then.

"That's good to see," Marie giggled.

"You know, I think we're almost there," Haruka realized. "Didn't that picture bring us here?"

"Wait, picture?" Nick asked.

"Hey, yeah, that picture we found in the realm of darkness," Maylin quipped, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the photo of the Guardians of the Veil from the future. "Maybe that explains what the other Heatherfield we saw was!"

"Wait, you think it's the Heatherfield that Lily's from?" Haruka wondered. "If so, why is it here all of a sudden?"

"Probably time travel shenanigans," Maylin replied. "After all, Lily's _from_ the future, so the mere fact that she's here is probably causing weird things to happen."

"If that's so, then I think we need to get moving and finish our exam," Nick proclaimed.

"PAPA!"

Nick only had time to turn around as Lily threw herself at him, hugging him tightly and knocking them both to the ground in a crumpled mess.

"You came back, papa!" Lily giggled.

"I promised, didn't I?" Nick laughed, picking himself up alongside his future daughter.

"So, what brings you all back here?" Lily wondered.

"We're just about to finish our Mark of Mastery Exam," Maylin proclaimed proudly. "All we have to do is find that Sora kid and take him to Candracar so he can send the dude home!"

"Sora?" Lily repeated. "I... think I've heard that name before. Is he a kid about your age with spiky hair and a keyblade, and has a dog and a duck following him everywhere?"

"He's here?" Haruka gasped. "Where did you see him, Lily?"

"I think the last place I saw him was Luna Park," Lily answered.

"All right, let's go, everybody!" Maylin exclaimed.

The group made their way through Heatherfield, occasionally stopping to mow down a pack of Heartless, until they reached Luna Park, where Sheffield Institute's "Grumper Sisters", Bess and Courtney, were observing something from afar and taking notes on it.

"Um, what are _you two_ doing here?" Maylin quipped. "Still looking for that tell-all scoop that's never going to happen?"

Bess simply huffed. "If you _must_ know, we're searching for the 'boy with the key'."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Haruka asked. "Maylin and I are from out of town."

"Rumors have been flying around the city lately," Courtney continued. "People say they keep seeing a boy wielding a strange key-shaped weapon all over the place."

 _Yup, he's here,_ Nick thought. "Was Luna Park the last sighting?" Nick asked.

"It seems like it," Bess cackled. "Oh, this is going to make us _so famous_!"

"Hey, I think that's him!" Courtney gasped, pointing towards something strange just ahead.

Nick gazed towards where Courtney was looking and saw a boy about his age having just stopped running in the center of Luna Park.

He was a teenage boy with spiky brown hair and blue eyes, tanned skin, and a lanky build. He was wearing a black jacket with grey pockets and a stripe of the same color on each sleeve. The hood, sleeves and jacket had a red lining, and six buttons could be seen on the front. Underneath, he wore a black tank top with a V-neck style collar and white lining. Covering his hands were gauntlets with a similar color scheme to his jacket, with red linings and grey circles on the backs, with yellow buckled straps wrapped around his wrists, leaving the palms of his hands exposed. He was also wearing black shorts with several grey pockets, a red band wrapping around each pant leg, and small yellow shoes with blue straps.

In his hands was what appeared to be an exact replica of Nick's original Kingdom Key.

"Ooh, I can't believe we actually found him!" Courtney laughed, preparing to move closer only to be stopped by Nick.

"Something's not right here," Nick stated. "You and Grump Two just stay put. I'm gonna go check this out."

Before Courtney could argue, Maylin pulled her back, silently shaking her head.

Nick took a few steps forward, wondering what exactly that strange feeling was.

It turned out that Nick was wise to be cautious, as the instant he stepped close enough to him, Sora swung his Kingdom Key in a vicious overhead strike. Nick barely had time to summon Active Tower to defend himself.

Despite this, Sora continued to attack, slashing at Nick's keyblade multiple times. During a brief break in this barrage, Nick caught a glimpse of Sora's eyes; they were glazed over and dull, like he was being hypnotized or controlled.

 **("Unlocking Heaven" by Brandon Yates plays)**

"Hey, I think someone's messing with his mind!" Nick shouted.

After another overhead slash, Sora leaped backwards and began floating in the air, holding his keyblade outwards. Spirals of energy began to surround Sora's Kingdom Key as he did so.

"Oh, that's the way you wanna play, huh?" Nick proclaimed, leaping into the air as well, mimicking Sora's motions. The two fired off their Ragnarok attacks at the same time, the laser barrages meeting in the middle and cancelling each other out.

Before Nick could land, Sora was already on the offensive, slashing at Nick three times before hitting him with a Guard Break, a version of Nick's Stride Break where Sora jumped back before dashing forward with a guard-piercing stab attack.

Nick retaliated with a Stride Break, his version being one where he spun his keyblade in hand before rushing forward with a guard-piercing stab attack.

As Sora stumbled from the attack, Nick rushed in to blast Sora away with a Ripple Drive, only for Sora to recover quickly and use his own version of Ripple Drive where he swung his keyblade in an uppercut motion that carried Nick into the air, and then the crystalline barrier exploded upwards from the teeth of Sora's Kingdom Key, further damaging Nick.

However, Nick recovered fast and struck downwards with a Hurricane Period, only for Sora to leap and counter with his own Hurricane Period, which was simply a quintet of somersaulting spins without the final uppercut.

"This is _uber_ -surreal," Maylin quipped as she watched the fight continue.

"It's like we're seeing Nick fight his clone or something," Haruka admitted.

"No kidding," Marie stated, before lashing out to knock down Bess's camera. "Hey, stop taking pictures and _maybe_ get somewhere safe before you get caught up in this?!"

"Oh, no _way_ am I missing this scoop!" Bess shot back, swiftly retrieving her camera. "You'd have to have a melted _brain_ to pass up the story of the century!"

Courtney tried to get closer to the battle, only to be yanked backwards by Lily.

"Um, how about you leave before you start interfering with papa?" Lily proclaimed.

Sora dodged away from a Strike Raid before retaliating with one of his own, the two wielders' keyblades bouncing off of each other with every throw.

"Okay, this is starting to get annoying," Nick growled before leading into a Sonic Blade attack, only for Sora to, you guessed it, counter with his own version of Sonic Blade.

"Hey, how about you stop copying me?!" Nick shouted, rushing forward to attack with Ars Arcanum, only for Sora to counter it with his own version as before.

This time, though, the advantage belonged to Nick, as his Ars Arcanum had different swings than Sora's, allowing Nick to slip through a swing that went wide and hammer Sora with his own combo.

After landing the final blow, Sora's body froze up, and a keyhole appeared on his chest. Nick quickly jumped backwards and aimed Active Tower for Sora, firing a beam of light from his keyblade into the keyhole, causing Sora's body to glow brightly for a few seconds before settling down.

Sora shook his head slightly to rustle the cobwebs from his brain. "Ugh... what the heck just happened?" Sora wondered.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we got 'em," Maylin quipped.

"Where... where am I?" Sora asked.

"Well, long story short, you're in another dimension," Nick stated. "But I think we've still got some fish to fry, so how about we continue this conversation on the move?"

"Hold on, where'd Donald and Goofy go?" Sora gasped, only for Donald and Goofy themselves to appear on the scene, having followed the sounds of the battle. "Guess that answers that."

"Sora, why'd you run off?" Donald exclaimed.

"We were worried about you, y'know," Goofy stated.

"Hey, hold on a second," Haruka stated. "You seem normal now, so why the heck were you attacking us not five minutes ago?"

Sora put his hand to his chin, trying to figure out what had happened that brought him here. "Well... the last thing I remember, after coming out of another one of those weird portals, is running into this girl in a black hood. I thought she was with Organization XIII, so I was gonna fight, but she just raised a keyblade towards me, and... then, everything's a blur..."

Suddenly, Sora gasped in shock. "It looked like she was wielding Xehanort's keyblade!"

"Yup, just who I figured it'd be," Nick groaned. "Come on, Sora, we'll tell you guys on the way."

* * *

"Hey, Your Majesty, why'd we suddenly stop?" Hay Lin asked once she and the rest of the Guardians had been brought back to Candracar.

Himerish stood at his full height and actually opened his eyes, a sign that trouble was most likely brewing.

"The final battle is nigh, my Guardians," Himerish proclaimed. "I have given you all the training that I can with our current timetable, but I believe that you are ready to join the fight."

"All _right_ , time for W.I.T.C.H. to rock once again!" Irma laughed.

"Is there anything you wanted us to do?" Cornelia asked.

Himerish summoned Master Keeper and swung it to create a portal in front of the Guardians that led to the Land of Departure. "I sense a great darkness approaching this world," Himerish explained. "Nick and his friends will most likely be headed there soon, guided by the will of Aqua and her friends. They will need your assistance in the battles to come."

"Consider it done," Will proclaimed before turning to her friends and raising the Heart of Candracar. "Let's get to work, everybody! _Guardians, unite!_ "

* * *

"Okay, so let me see if I've got all of this straight," Sora quipped as the rather large group continued to stroll down the streets of Heatherfield. They'd gotten Bess and Courtney to keep the photos they'd taken a secret after convincing them that it was for the safety of the world. "Nick, you and your friends are keyblade wielders who've been going on adventures just like I have?"

"Yup," Nick replied.

"And this girl who hypnotized me is a future version of your daughter from _our_ dimension?" Sora continued.

"It gets weird, I know," Lily stated. "Papa told me that Xehanort had come across her and saw the potential she carried due to her sorrow, and decided to loan her his keyblade."

"And then she pulled Organization XIII through time to assist in her goals," Maylin continued.

"Wait, I thought time travel didn't work that way," Sora responded, remembering the very specific set of time travel rules that Young Xehanort had told him about.

"Lucky her that it doesn't work like that there," Haruka replied.

"Okay, I think now I need to ask the big question: how did I get from _my_ dimension to _this_ dimension?" Sora asked.

"All I can really think of is that the dimensional barriers that usually _prevent_ that crap from happening were damaged by whatever schemes Xehanort is unfurling," Maylin answered. "That's why you've been crossing through so many portals trying to find the way home."

"But we know someone who actually _can_ send you home, Sora," Marie continued. "That's the whole reason we were looking for you in the first place."

Before Marie could continue, Donald suddenly stepped closer to Marie, having sensed the dark power she wielded.

"Um... why is Donald giving me a weird look?" Marie stuttered. "Is it because of my dark powers?"

"Relax, Donald," Sora stated. "Not everyone who wields dark power is evil, you know. I mean, just look at Riku, for crying out loud!"

"I think he's just worried something will go wrong again," Goofy answered.

"It almost did, honestly," Marie admitted. "I was swayed by a group of villains who were trying to take over the worlds, then I got possessed by an ancient deity of darkness... honestly, it's a long story, not even counting the part where I _died_ at the end of it."

Sora quickly glanced at Nick, whose expression seemed to change very fast. Sensing it was still a hard topic to discuss, Sora decided he wouldn't push the issue.

"A lot of that happened to Riku, too," Sora admitted. "Well, minus the whole _dying_ part."

"It just gives us that feeling that our groups share the same roles in different dimensions," Maylin quipped. "And like I said before, that is _ultra_ surreal when you stop and think about it."

Lily gasped in shock, catching everyone's attention. They looked ahead towards the source of her shock, seeing a large blue portal hanging in the air.

Lily walked up to it, and inside the portal, she saw what appeared to be Heatherfield. _Her_ Heatherfield.

"What the heck? Is this... is this my _home_?" Lily gasped, a few tears forming on her eyes.

"Wait, wait, _Lily's_ Heatherfield?!" Maylin exclaimed. "I bet _that_ was the other Heatherfield we saw on our scanners earlier!"

"But... why is it here?" Haruka wondered. "We'd better check this out."

Naturally, Lily rushed headlong into the portal, leaving Nick, Maylin, Haruka, to follow, though they stopped short when they realized Marie hadn't joined them.

"You guys go on ahead," Marie stated. "I'm gonna keep these guys company 'til you get back."

Nick flashed a thumbs-up to Marie, who quickly returned it with a v-sign of her own as the trio made their way into the portal.

To the group's surprise, the Heatherfield of the future didn't look too much different from their own.

"Well, home sweet home, I guess," Nick quipped.

Lily was too busy gazing around at everything, realizing that nothing in the city was damaged at all, as it had been thanks to the Organization attack before she'd leaped backwards through time.

"Did... did I inadvertently save my timeline by jumping back?" Lily wondered.

"Well, future you said that she pulled the Organization from her own time and brought them here," Nick stated. "Maybe this timeline changed back to normal when we started stomping them again."

"Ugh, have I mentioned how much time travel and its cornucopia of disturbing concepts makes my _head hurt_?!" Maylin shouted.

"C-Come on, let's go find mama and papa, real quick-like!" Lily exclaimed.

Thankfully, it wasn't too far to Lily's house, even as Lily continued to stop and take in the sights of her hometown, completely untouched by the Organization.

"Hey, you've got a nice place, Lily," Nick admitted.

"It's home," Lily giggled as Nick patted her on the head.

Just as Lily decided to burst through the door and greet her mother and father as she always did, something crashed into the ground in front of them.

"Okay, didn't expect _that_!" Lily exclaimed.

Maylin, however, was already seething with barely-repressed rage.

The culprit?

None other than the Iron Imprisoner, an _extremely_ persistent Unversed.

This time, however, the Iron Imprisoner had shed the last of its shackles, revealing a black, angry face, natural hands and feet, and a much larger hammer with more intricate designs.

"What the heck was that?" Cornelia gasped, rushing outside with the future Nick to investigate the loud crash, only to be greeted with the strange (at least to them) sight of Maylin bellowing in rage and firing Firaga spells one after another towards the Iron Imprisoner's body.

"YOU STUPID IRON-BODIED JERKHOLE! WHY WON'T YOU JUST DIE AND STAY FREAKIN' DEAD, FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE?!" Maylin screamed as she continued to rapid-fire spells.

"I've got a feeling that this is gonna be the last time we have to fight him," Haruka responded, taking advantage of the Iron Imprisoner's stunned state to slip behind it and strike its back a few times before pushing it away with a Geo Impact.

"It had _better_ be," Maylin growled. "Because I am _sick and goddamn tired_ of dealing with this thing!"

Nick dashed around Maylin to attack while she had it pinned, switching to the Ultima Weapon in hopes of putting this thing out of their misery quickly (before Maylin razed the street to the ground trying to destroy it).

However, as Nick leaped forward to attack, the Iron Imprisoner broke out of Maylin's magical barrage and started swinging its hammer at Nick, too fast for him to effectively counter. The Iron Imprisoner struck Nick at least ten times with its hammer before swinging upwards, then repeatedly pounding the ground to create fiery shockwaves.

When it was all over, Nick picked himself up, only to gape in utter shock at what was left of the Ultima Weapon. The Iron Imprisoner's full hammer combo had utterly destroyed the Ultima Weapon, leaving only the handle and hilt behind.

This moment of shock cost Nick, however, as the Iron Imprisoner raised its hammer to perform a gust attack that sucked Nick closer to it, and when he was close enough, the large Unversed released a gigantic explosion around itself that threw Nick backwards.

"All right, asshole, you're gonna pay _dearly_ for that one!" Maylin shouted, readying a super spell coin. _"Hold fast to the ancient laws, and let magic be my guide! FIRAJA!"_

Eight gigantic spheres of fire, resembling meteors, appeared and began to orbit around the Iron Imprisoner. After a few seconds, the meteors all converged on the Iron Imprisoner at once, exploding into a geyser of flames that shot straight to the sky.

Despite this, the Iron Imprisoner still stood, readying its hammer for another strike. Just then, however, it seized up and lost its grip on its hammer, which collapsed to the ground and dissipated in a burst of flames.

The cause was revealed to be future Nick having leaped into action and slashed his Kingdom Key across the Iron Imprisoner's vulnerable backside.

At long last, the Iron Imprisoner fell to its knees, reached out in a futile attempt to deal one last blow, then collapsed onto its face before dissolving into dark mist that quickly evaporated.

Future Nick raised Kingdom Key to cast Curaga on his younger self, who quickly got to his feet.

"Nice to see I've still got the moves even sixteen years later," Nick quipped.

"Speaking of which, what exactly is going on?" future Nick wondered.

"Um... that'd be me, papa," Lily answered.

"Lily?!" Cornelia exclaimed, rushing over to hug her daughter tightly. "Oh, baby, we were so worried when you disappeared..."

"Well, I guess I've got a lot of explaining to do, don't I?" Lily laughed. "Oh, mama, the Organization hasn't attacked, have they?"

At the confusion etched on future Nick and Cornelia's faces, Lily's suspicions were confirmed.

"That's all I need to know," Lily giggled, hugging both of her parents.

"Well, Lily, I guess you won't be needing us around anymore, now that you're home," Nick quipped.

"Nonsense, papa!" Lily proclaimed, separating from her parents for a moment before rushing up to Nick. "I'm so happy that I got to meet you in your youth! Without this, I might never have fixed my timeline, and I'd be doomed to an eternal life of wandering with nowhere to go and no one to turn to..."

"Which is precisely what happened to your other-dimensional self," Maylin replied. "That's why you didn't fall to darkness like she did."

"Maylin's right," Haruka stated. "The mere fact that you jumped back in time to set right what once went wrong is the whole reason you were able to save what you lost."

"And as a future father, I couldn't be more proud of my little girl," Nick quipped, to which Lily hugged him tightly.

"I love you, papa."

"I love you, too, Lily."

Nick leaned down to kiss his future daughter on the forehead. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"You got it, papa!" Lily stated as she ran back to her parents to excitedly discuss all of the adventures she'd been on since her time hop.

This left the trio to double back and return to Sheffield Institute, where the portal had dropped them off, and jump back through the portal to return to their own Heatherfield.

"Some people would call that weird," Sora quipped as he, Donald, and Goofy walked by with Marie, who was regaling them with tales of her group's many adventures. "Don't people find it odd that he's got _two_ girlfriends?"

"It's like I said, I thought it was something that only happened in trashy romance novels with ultra-cheesy dialogue and no damn subtlety whatsoever," Marie giggled.

"I swear, why are people still harping on that?!" Nick sputtered, only causing Marie to laugh more. "I get it already..."

"It's not my fault that people keep saying that whenever I tell them," Marie laughed.

"And yet you still haven't said anything to Kairi yet," Donald stated, causing Sora's gaze to snap to him. "Come on, Sora, I know you're thinking it."

"I mean, how am I _supposed_ to while she's still training with Merlin and Lea?" Sora stuttered.

"Why don't you just tell her when we get back to our dimension?" Goofy offered. "That way, you can get it off your chest."

"And not have to wonder what could have been," Nick finished.

"Now that we're all here, how about we all get back to the Gummi Ship so we can get Sora over to Candracar and send him home?" Haruka stated.

"Oh, you guys have a Gummi Ship, too?" Goofy asked.

"Yup! My Gummi Ship is one of a kind!" Maylin proclaimed.

"Um, you mean _my_ Gummi Ship, Maylin," Haruka teased. "I _am_ the one who built it, after all."

"Wasn't I the one who put together the blueprints for its redesign?" Maylin countered. "So that means it technically belongs to both of us!"

While the newest Gummi Ship argument began, Marie simply shuffled over to Haruka and pressed the button on her wrist communicator to teleport them all to the Gummi Ship.

"Wh-wha?" Haruka gasped once she realized they were actually in the Gummi Ship.

"There, I saved you a step," Marie giggled.

"Wow, you guys have a really neat Gummi Ship," Goofy stated.

"Thanks! Made it myself!" Haruka and Maylin proclaimed together, at the same time. They glanced at each other for a few seconds before bursting into uncontrollable giggles, implying all was forgiven.

"Oh, hey, Nick?" Maylin asked.

"What's up, Maylin?" Nick wondered, even as Maylin walked up and placed something in his hand.

"I... wanted to give you this earlier, but considering how we got caught up in all that nonsense in Lyoko," Maylin replied, her blush rising. "And also considering your old one just got broken, well..."

Nick looked down at his hand and saw a heart-shaped keychain token. Attaching it to his keyblade, Nick was surprised to see it transform into what appeared to be the Ultima Weapon. However, this Ultima Weapon was colored differently, containing a lot of blue, white and gold, and lacking the Dream Sword, and incorporated many more crowns into its design, including one at the tip of the blade, near the crown "teeth", two making up the guard, three in the chain, and the aforementioned combination of a crown and the original heart keychain as the token.

"We made you a new one," Haruka continued. "We went to visit Synthie the last time you were gallivanting around in the storybook, and we had all the materials we needed to make you a new Ultima Weapon, even better than the one you had before."

"I figured now would be the best time to give it to you, since that damned Iron Imprisoner destroyed the old one," Maylin explained.

"I really do have the best friends ever, don't I?" Nick quipped as he leaned over to hug Maylin.

"And you have one of the best _girlfriends_ ever, too," Maylin giggled. "Don't ever forget that, 'kay?"

"How could I?" Nick stated.

"All right, then, now that _that's_ been settled, shall we book it to Candracar, everybody?" Haruka proclaimed.

Marie suddenly stiffened in her spot, and Nick was immediately on edge.

"What did you sense, Marie?" Nick asked.

"There's trouble at the Land of Departure," Marie answered, pointing her keyblade towards the Land of Departure, which was being surrounded by what appeared to be a monsoon of Shadows.

Three armored figures could also be seen approaching the Land of Departure, no doubt Terra, Ventus and Aqua trying to fight back against whatever was attacking their world.

"That's all I need to hear," Maylin proclaimed. "Take us there, fearless pilot!"

"Roger that," Haruka replied, taking her seat and setting off for the Land of Departure.

* * *

"Yup, still bleak," Maylin quipped as the group continued to climb up the stairway that led to the castle.

"You know, this place seems kind of familiar to me," Sora noticed.

"How so?" Donald wondered.

"Just... a feeling I got in my heart," Sora quipped. "Maybe it's one of the other hearts inside of me that knows this place..."

"Wait, you've got other hearts inside _your_ heart, Sora?!" Marie exclaimed.

"Honestly, that's a story in and of itself," Sora admitted.

"Took you guys long enough to get here, huh?"

Nick perked up when he heard familiar voices, racing up the remaining stairs to the Forecourt, where all five members of W.I.T.C.H. were waiting for them.

"Holy crap, the Guardians beat us here!" Maylin gasped.

"Well, the Oracle _did_ kinda send us here so we could help out," Will stated.

"Yeah, we're no longer gonna sit on the sidelines and let you guys hog all the glory!" Irma proclaimed. "We're heroes, too, ya know!"

"I'm willing to guess that Himerish sensed the same dark force that we did?" Haruka asked.

"Pretty much," Hay Lin replied, lazily playing with one of her ponytails.

The sound of futuristic engines caught the group's attention just in time for Terra, Ventus, and Aqua to ride down to the Forecourt and dismiss their Keyblade Armor and Riders.

"Any sign of that strange darkness you sensed, Aqua?" Terra asked.

"I'm sure it'll be showing up anytime now," Aqua proclaimed, twirling Brightcrest in her hands.

Sora seemed incredibly shocked to see the three veteran keyblade wielders standing in front of him. After all, hadn't it been his mission to find a way to save them?

 _Wait, though,_ Sora thought. _This is supposed to be a different dimension, so they're probably not the Terra, Ven and Aqua I'm searching for..._

"Oh, hey, you're all here," Ventus proclaimed. "Along with... a _lot_ of other people I've never seen before..."

"Were you all drawn here by that strange darkness, too?" Aqua asked.

"Was it that obvious?" Irma giggled.

Suddenly, an earthquake shook the surrounding area, forcing everyone present to struggle to keep their balance.

"What was _that_?!" Ventus shouted.

"I think we've got company!" Cornelia shouted, pointing towards the very top of the ruined castle.

Just above the wrecked structure, a gigantic swarm of Shadows could be seen circling the castle tower. Somewhere in the swarm was a large Dark Core that glowed shades of violet and orange.

"Oh, for the love of... _why_ is _another_ Demon Tower stalking us?!" Maylin shouted, summoning Spellbinder.

"Um, Maylin, I think this one's different from the others," Nick replied, summoning his new Ultima Weapon. "It's _much_ bigger than all of the other ones, and I'm willing to bet it's a lot stronger, too."

As if to answer the unasked question, the Demon Tide began to fly down towards the Forecourt, setting its sights on all of the keyblade wielders that it sensed.

"Oh, yeah, _right_!" Irma shouted. "All right, Guardians, let's throw down!"

To Nick's surprise, all five members of W.I.T.C.H. summoned their keyblades and charged to meet the Demon Tide head on.

The Demon Tide attempted to strike with a flying sidewinder, but Will simply sidestepped and slashed Innocent Sign across its flank, causing it to slow down and allowing Irma to attack the Demon Tide's core a few times with wide, flowing slashes from Abyssal Tide.

"Wait, wait, they've all got keyblades now, too?!" Maylin gasped.

Taranee ducked under a wave of Shadows that was fired from the Demon Tide (also noting that the Shadows' eyes began to glow red whenever the Demon Tide was about to attack), before raising Maverick Flare and firing a burst of fire from its teeth to knock off more Shadows that were protecting the core.

Cornelia slammed her free hand into the ground to create a pillar of rock underneath her that propelled her high enough into the air to attack the core with a Gyro Winder, her own variation of Nick's Hurricane Period where she performed six backwards somersaulting attacks in more angled motions than Nick's, before finishing with a Geo Impact to the Demon Tide's core. She flourished Rockbreaker gracefully upon reaching the ground.

While this was happening, Hay Lin raised Wind Maker to cast a giant Aeroga spell that took the form of a miniature tornado, flying through the air to sever half of the Demon Tide's mass off of it, the Shadows comprising it falling to the ground and evaporating.

"Yeah, progress!" Hay Lin giggled.

Not wanting to be left out, Terra also moved in to attack, waiting for the core to get close before unleashing a Windcutter on the Demon Tide's core. While it was slowed from the strike, Ventus began to wail on the core with his own version of Ars Arcanum.

Aqua timed herself, waiting until Ventus had moved away to unleash a powerful Thundaza spell, causing beams of light to rain down in a circle around the Demon Tide before dropping hundreds of powerful lightning bolts into the circle and heavily damaging the core.

Even Sora decided to jump in and contribute, slicing at the Demon Tide's core with Sonic Blade. Before he could land the final blow, however, the Demon Tide forced itself into the ground before flying back up into the sky.

Donald remedied this by peppering the Demon Tide with magic spells one after the other while it was in the air, with Goofy spinning his shield around himself to deflect any torrents of Shadows that were coming their way.

The Demon Tide flew down for one more attack, but Sora was ready for it, laying into the core with an Aerial Finish, a quartet of wide spinning slashes around Sora, before ending off with a downwards Hurricane Period that seemed to do the trick, causing all of the demonic Shadows to evaporate into dark mist and leave only the Dark Core.

"Easy as ever," Sora laughed. After all, he had fought a Demon Tide in his world when he'd visited Twilight Town recently.

"I... don't know," Nick responded. "I _highly_ doubt that's the end of it."

Almost as if fate was listening, the Dark Core began to rise into the air, its body vibrating violently and unsettlingly, before plunging into the ground at the center of the Forecourt.

Droves of darkness billowed out from where the Dark Core had entered the ground, coating the entire area in darkness and causing the dark blue sky above them to turn a violent shade of blood-red.

"I just _had_ to open my mouth, didn't I?" Nick groaned.

"We've all been there, buddy," Maylin sighed, patting Nick on the shoulder.

Just then, the Dark Core rose from the ground, now glowing a violent orange-reddish color, surrounded by a tornado of demonic Shadows around itself.

"Oh, that's not good," Haruka quipped.

"Did... did that thing just _evolve_?!" Marie shouted.

The Demon Tide began to whirl around the Forecourt, forcing the group to keep their distance to avoid being tossed away by its rotation.

"We've gotta find a way inside that thing!" Haruka exclaimed, all eyes now on her. "We need to get into the eye of the storm if we wanna have any chance of attacking the core!"

"Probably just gotta wait for an opening," Nick replied. "That Shadow twister doesn't completely protect the core, after all."

The instant the Demon Tide moved closer, expanding its Shadow tornado for an attack, Nick made his move and leaped forward, through a gap in the Shadows and into the eye of the storm.

"Yeah, can't exactly hit me in here, can you?!" Nick shouted before bombarding the Dark Core with multiple aerial attacks, having switched to the Ultima Weapon to do as much damage as he could.

Just as he was about to attack with a Magnet Splash, the Demon Tide's tornado constricted around Nick, forcing him in place as a maelstrom of dark energy beams shot into the sky all around the Demon Tide, damaging Nick in the process.

"O-Okay, didn't think you could do that," Nick groaned.

"Hold on, Nick, I'm coming to assist!" Maylin shouted, charging towards the captured Nick.

Despite the shouts of the others, Nick knew exactly what Maylin was planning, and forced his free hand out of his confinement to reach out to Maylin.

Even as the Demon Tide began to spin away, Maylin dove for Nick, their hands clasping together just in time and allowing them to merge together.

A great explosion of light emanated outwards, breaking the Demon Tide's hold on Nick and allowing him to drop to the ground. When the light cleared, he was in Wisdom Form, dual-wielding Fairy Stars and Counterpoint.

"Whoa, you guys can do that, too?" Sora gasped.

"We're more alike than you think, apparently," Haruka admitted.

"All right, twister boy, let's rock and roll!" Wisdom Form Nick exclaimed, gliding across the ground to keep pace with the Demon Tide and bombarding it with souped-up magic spells one after the other, causing many of its demonic Shadows to fall off and dissipate.

When there was a gap in the twister, Wisdom Form Nick began rapid-firing magic bullets from both of his keyblades to attack the Dark Core.

The Demon Tide began to swing its twister around to attack, only for Wisdom Form Nick to Quick Run a short distance away so he could set up the finishing blow.

" _O power that lies at the root of all creation..."_ Wisdom Form Nick chanted, five large energy orbs, one pink, one blue, one red, one green, and one silver, appearing around him, each one embedded with the elemental symbol of the Guardian it represented.

" _O memory inscribed in ages past..."_ Wisdom Form Nick proclaimed, the orbs flying over to the Demon Tide and spiraling around it. _"Hear my call and arise before me!"_

"Okay, I _definitely_ couldn't do _that_ ," Donald stated.

" _Ancient Catastrophe!"_ Wisdom Form Nick shouted, and the five energy orbs merged around the Demon Tide into one giant ball of elemental chaos that eventually exploded outward with all the force of a supernova, leaving only a few Shadows to surround it and heavy damage on the Dark Core.

Before anyone could get their bearings, however, the Demon Tide re-formed its twister of Shadows and began to spiral away again.

"Oh, that's bull!" Wisdom Form Nick exclaimed.

"I think it's weakening," Aqua proclaimed. "Just keep it up, everybody!"

"Haruka, tag in!" Wisdom Form Nick shouted, separating into Nick and Maylin so Nick could run over to Haruka and take her hand and unite them both into Valor Form, dual-wielding Divine Rose and Dimension Tripper.

"Now we're gonna lay a beating on your sorry keester," Valor Form Nick proclaimed. "Don't say we didn't warn you!"

Valor Form Nick ran towards the Demon Tide, High Jumping over each wave of demonic Shadows it threw at them before reaching the core and battering it with rapid-fire attacks before finishing with a Spiral Strike followed by a Sonic End, each slash destroying more and more demonic Shadows alongside damaging the Dark Core.

As Valor Form Nick landed, the Demon Tide began to lurch forward, the Dark Core colliding with Valor Form Nick and pushing him back, but each time he retaliated with an Over the Horizon jumping strike before attacking with a Valor Shot to pierce a gap in the twister, followed by a Brave Beat directly to the core.

The Demon Tide quickly retreated to reform its twister, and this gave Valor Form Nick a chance to run back to the group.

"Marie, tag in!" Valor Form Nick shouted, separating into Nick and Haruka so Nick could run over to Marie and take her hand and unite them both into Shadow Form, dual-wielding Darkgnaw and Rainfell.

"Wait, they're using the power of darkness?" Terra gasped. "And it's... _not_ controlling them?!"

"It almost did for a bit, but that's a long story," Shadow Form Nick proclaimed. "But I'll save it for later. I've got a big fish to put down!"

Shadow Form Nick waited for the Demon Tide to rush him before performing a Shadow Sneak that warped him right behind the Dark Core, allowing him to strike it with multiple attacks and ending in a Doom Flash, leaping above the Dark Core and unleashing a storm of dark energy blades below him to damage the core.

"Say, Sora, I think I saw you turn into that once," Goofy stated.

"Wait, I did?" Sora stuttered.

"I think it was because you were overusing your Drive Forms," Donald quipped. "Master Yen Sid _did_ warn you not to rely too heavily on them..."

"I guess I paid for that, huh?" Sora laughed.

Shadow Form Nick continued to Shadow Sneak across the battlefield to avoid the Demon Tide's attacks, including one where it warped its core away and began firing large orbs of darkness from the eye of the storm, all landing on the battlefield in random locations and forcing everyone to stay on the move.

Eventually, Shadow Form Nick had enough of dodging and Shadow Sneak-ed right back to the Dark Core, attacking it with a Shadow Dance, where he continuously attacked with both of his keyblades while circling around the Dark Core before diving back downwards in a spike attack.

This last strike drove the Demon Tide back even as it began to gather more demonic Shadows to increase the size of its twister.

"Oh, come _on_ , why won't you die already?!" Irma exclaimed.

"Wait, I think it's just about done for," Cornelia stated. "Just gotta make that final push."

"Then let's end this thing!" Shadow Form Nick shouted, separating into Nick and Marie just as Maylin and Haruka rushed over to take Nick's hands, causing all three of them to unite into Master Form, dual-wielding Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

The Demon Tide began to undulate in its place before thundering straight towards its opponents, but Master Form Nick simply countered with a souped-up Reflega spell, causing the Demon Tide to bounce off of the barrier. Master Form Nick wasted no time in shattering the barrier and sending all the absorbed damage right back, carving a massive gap in the twister.

With his opportunity knocking, Master Form Nick went to work, ravaging the Dark Core with a bevy of spinning slashes before ending with a Master Strike.

Before the Demon Tide could recover, Master Form Nick jumped back before rocketing forward with a super-powered Thundaga spell, blowing Shadows off of the core in droves before finally aiming Oathkeeper upwards and firing a beam of light straight through the Dark Core.

At long last, the Demon Tide collapsed, its twister of Shadows evaporating and leaving nothing but the fatally-damaged Dark Core, which crashed to the ground and exploded. When the core died, this also cleared away the darkness that was surrounding them, returning them all to the Forecourt as it had been before the Demon Tide had attacked.

"We... we did it!" Ventus gasped.

"And _victory_ goes to us!" Irma exclaimed.

Nick, however, looked upwards, having sensed an odd surge of energy when the Demon Tide had been vanquished. In the air, he saw a bunch of light particles forming into a giant keyhole in the sky.

"Is that... is that the Land of Departure's keyhole?" Aqua gasped.

"Everyone, use your keyblades together!" Haruka exclaimed.

All thirteen keyblade wielders present raised their keyblades in unison and fired beams of light from them into the keyhole, which shined with an almost blinding light for a few seconds before sealing the keyhole with a loud click.

Almost instantaneously, the Land of Departure began to magically repair itself, the dark sky returning to the bright oranges and yellows of old, and the castle reforming to its former glory.

"Was it there the whole time?" Terra asked.

"It was probably being blocked by that thing we just fought," Nick admitted. "I felt the familiar surge of 'nearby keyhole' the instant we took it down."

"Which would explain why I could never find it, no matter how hard I looked," Aqua realized. "That Demon Tide must have been masking its energy."

"It's... it's good to be home," Terra proclaimed. "But... what would Master Eraqus think of what's happened to me?"

"Hey, don't sweat it, Terra," Ventus replied. "Master Eraqus did say he felt like he'd judged you wrongly after that."

"Yeah, that's why he was going to let you take the Mark of Mastery Exam again, after all," Aqua stated.

"OH, CRAP!" Maylin shrieked, causing everyone to snap their gazes to her. "We've still gotta finish _our_ Mark of Mastery Exam!"

"Oh, Maylin, you're all taking the exam, too?" Aqua asked, unable to hide her smile.

"Yup," Maylin giggled. "The last thing we had to do was to find Sora and his friends and take them back to Candracar so our Oracle can send them back home where they belong! We're so close I can practically _taste_ it!"

"Honestly, Maylin, you _deserve_ to be a Master at this point, after everything you all have done," Ventus stated.

"And don't worry about a thing, Terra," Haruka continued. "If you still feel like you want to prove yourself, you can ask our Oracle if he'll let you take the exam."

"We can handle ourselves here," Terra responded. "You all just go back to Candracar and finish your exam so you can become Masters."

"That's the idea," Maylin giggled as Haruka reached for her communicator.

 _I'll make you proud of me someday, Master,_ Terra thought. _I'll prove that I can control my darkness. After all..._

Terra glanced as all of his fellow keyblade wielders. His _friends_.

 _...my friends believe in me, and that's what gives me my strength._

* * *

"We! Have! RETURNED!" Maylin proclaimed once everyone had gathered in the Congregation Hall. "And we are _victorious_!"

"I saw from here," Himerish stated. "And what a splendid triumph it was."

"Um... should I bow?" Sora asked. "Because I kinda feel like I'm disrespecting him by simply standing up..."

"To be honest, I thought the same thing on my first time here," Irma quipped.

"You need not worry," Himerish proclaimed. "I have heard much about you, Sora. You fight to protect the worlds in your own dimension with the same fervor that our keyblade wielders do, and you defend your friends and allies from anything that would disrupt the balance."

"That's pretty much me in a nutshell," Sora quipped.

"And I understand you are simply trying to find your way back to your own dimension to continue your fight against Xehanort," Himerish continued. "That is why I had Nick and his friends search for you, so that I may send you home."

"That easy?" Donald asked.

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty," Goofy proclaimed.

"Hey, um, Your Majesty, if at all possible, can you send your 'going-home-beam-whatever' thing to a couple other worlds?" Maylin asked. "We encountered some people who were ripped from their own worlds by the Dark Mother's roots, and we... kinda promised them an eventual ride home..."

"As you wish, wielders of the keyblade, so it shall be," Himerish stated, summoning Master Keeper and waving it in circles, drawing trails and patterns of light energy as he did so.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now," Sora quipped, turning back to Nick and the girls. "Short as it was, it was a fun ride, getting to meet other keyblade wielders."

"Remember to be good!" Donald stated.

"And keep fighting the good fight," Goofy responded.

"May your hearts be your guiding key," Nick and Sora proclaimed at the same time, having figured out what each other was going to say.

Himerish slashed Master Keeper through the pattern he'd traced, and chains of light burst from the floor under Sora, Donald and Goofy, wrapping around them and filling the room with a bright golden light, even as other chains of light flew off to send the other 'off-worlders' home.

When the light had died down, Sora, Donald and Goofy had vanished from sight.

"And now, if you would present me the Proofs you have collected?" Himerish stated.

The four keyblade wielders reached into their pockets and produced the ten Proofs they'd obtained from defeating the "evils that lurk" in the worlds, and let them float over to Himerish.

"Yes, this appears to be all in order," Himerish proclaimed.

"So... did we... are we... I mean, can I assume that..." Maylin stammered.

"Worry no more, my dear," Himerish stated, standing to his full height. The four wielders stood at attention, with W.I.T.C.H. watching excitedly.

"My keyblade wielders," Himerish proclaimed for all in Candracar to hear. "Time and time again, you have stood up for what is just and right in this universe. You fight to preserve the delicate balance of light and darkness in all things. But, most prevalent of all, you do not waver in your beliefs. You have shown me many times that you are worthy. And now, by the power vested in me as the Oracle of Candracar, with the blessings of the High Council, I am proud to make it official."

"Maylin Rae." Maylin couldn't contain her smile, a few tears falling.

"Haruka Rose." Haruka flipped a lock of her hair out of her eyes.

"Nick Kelly." Nick stood tall, proud of how far they'd all come.

"Marie Kelly." Marie glanced at her hand briefly, shrouded in a soft dark glow.

"I, Himerish, the Oracle of Candracar, centerfold of the infinite dimensions, hereby name all four of you... true Keyblade Masters."

Unable to contain herself any longer, Maylin jumped into the air and let out a loud whoop of triumph before practically throwing herself into Nick's arms.

"WE DID IT, WE DID IT!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Easy there, silly," Nick laughed. "You don't need to knock me out to show your excitement."

"I'm just... I'm _so happy_ right now, Nick," Maylin replied, looking up at Nick with nothing but love in her eyes. "I'm so much stronger than I was just a few years ago... I promised myself to _always_ push myself to get stronger, so I would never lose anything I cared about ever again..."

"Hey, I know for a fact that Sakura and Tomoyo and _everyone_ else would be so proud of how far you've come, Maylin," Haruka responded, putting her hand on Maylin's shoulder.

"I've come pretty far in my own right," Marie stated, joining in the group hug. "I worried so much about what Nick would think of me for being controlled by those villain dudes, and for wielding the power of darkness in a world that doesn't understand it half the time... but I still count myself extremely lucky to have been blessed with the greatest big brother and the best batch of friends a girl could have _ever_ asked for..."

The Guardians just stood there and watched, not wanting to ruin the moment in any way.

"However," Himerish proclaimed, catching everyone's attention. "There is still work to be done."

"My daughter, right?" Nick stated. "She's still out there somewhere, and she's going to destroy _everything_ if we don't stop her."

"Precisely," Himerish responded. "This will be your first task as Keyblade Masters under me. You must find this other-dimensional Lily and stop her before she threatens the multiverse."

"We're probably gonna head out now and do that," Haruka proclaimed. "We have a pretty good idea where she's holed up, too."

"We're right behind you guys," Taranee stated. "All the way."

"Would we, technically, be your subordinates, considering you're all Keyblade Masters now?" Irma teased.

"Irma, is now really the time for that?" Haruka sighed.

"Hey, just lightening the mood," Irma giggled. "You're the masters now, so you should lead the way, and we'll follow, from now until the end, and that's undeniable _fact_!"

"Thanks, everyone," Nick stated. "Now, how about we get back to the Gummi Ship and put an end to this?"

"HELL YEAH!" everyone shouted as Haruka beamed them all up to the Gummi Ship.

Himerish watched them leave with a smile on his face. "I am proud of them all," Himerish proclaimed. "With them on our side, I believe the multiverse is in good hands."

With his task complete, Himerish turned to walk away before vanishing into particles of golden light.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _New keyblade acquired!_

 **Ultima Weapon  
** _Strength:_ **30  
** _Magic:_ **30  
** _Ability:_ **Guardian's Veil  
** _Description:_ A weapon of unstoppable strength and supreme magic, truly worthy of being called the keyblade above all others. Possesses unsurpassed stats, and empowers your weapon to do twice as much damage as long as your health is full.

* * *

On the next episode:

Maylin: And finally, we're off to the final world, as it were!

Haruka: Now that we're Keyblade Masters at long last, we're heading out to put an end to that evil Lily and stop her from destroying the multiverse.

Marie: Wait, how exactly is she going to do that all at once, if that's actually her plan?

Nick: I wonder if it has something to do with this world. The Oracle did say that it's basically a sort of barrier that normally blocks dimensional travel by normal means.

Maylin: Then, if it's cracked because of whatever... oh. Oh, _no_.

Haruka: What? What's wrong?

Maylin: I know what Alterna-Lily's planning, and that means we need to beat feet and stop her _right now_!

Nick: Next time on _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "A Dream of Non-Existence"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	25. A Dream of Non-Existence

"Holy crap, I've never seen something this amazing before," Irma quipped as she stared out at the Lanes Between. After all, this was W.I.T.C.H.'s first time in the Gummi Ship, and their first time witnessing the Lanes Between. "So this is how _you_ guys travel between worlds?"

"Exactly," Maylin responded. "This is the Lanes Between, a sort of road map that connects the worlds together."

"I guess I always assumed that the Oracle opened portals to wherever you were going, like we did for so long," Will stated.

"Himerish actually said that he created the Gummi Blocks, what our ship's made of, and infused them with the power of the Heart," Haruka explained. "That power is basically what allows the Gummi Ship to travel the Lanes Between without the actual Heart."

"He said it was a backup plan in case a wielder of the Heart was incapacitated, dead or otherwise, after everything that happened with Nerissa," Maylin continued.

"Definitely sounds like something I'd do," Taranee responded.

"It looks like we're coming up on the enemy base, as it were," Haruka stated, looking ahead towards the large structure that represented the world where Future Lily was waiting, no doubt alongside the remaining members of the Organization.

"Yeesh, talk about intimidating," Hay Lin admitted. "And I thought Nerissa's lair was bad enough as it was."

"We'd better prepare ourselves for some fighting," Nick stated matter-of-factly. "I'm pretty sure the rest of the Organization is gonna be in our way, too."

"You think Elyon may be there, too?" Cornelia wondered. "We haven't seen her since the end of the invasion, remember? You guys said she just _jumped_ into that dark portal after the Organization's leader?"

"Most likely, if we're all converging on this place," Nick replied. "She probably knows this is our best chance to finish this."

"All right, ladies and gentleman, we have arrived!" Haruka proclaimed. "What say we end this madness once and for all?"

"Oh, you know I'm all for that!" Irma exclaimed.

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Haruka giggled. "Prepare for landing!"

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring  
** _Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Eden Riegel_ as **Marie Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae / Meiling Li  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** Nick and his friends have finally arrived at Future Lily's stronghold, the Iridescent Abyss, which is a very special world that protects the dimensional barriers. With cracks beginning to show in the barriers due to Xehanort's schemes in Sora's dimension, our heroes must fight their way through Future Lily's castle and past the remaining members of Organization XIII before her fiendish schemes can come to fruition...

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

* * *

Episode 25: A Dream of Non-Existence

"Whoa," Irma gasped as the entire group beheld the seemingly infinite majesty of this strange world, the Iridescent Abyss. The sky was a bright mix of neon colors, giving it an alien-like feel. The overall structure of the world seemed to resemble the Sky of Beginnings, in which most of the "ground" was a cloudy, almost transparent structure, even as it formed what appeared to be buildings and alleyways. Far off in the distance, an absolutely massive castle could be seen floating above the city, eclipsed by an even larger heart-shaped moon.

"Um... why do I get the feeling that's no moon?" Will wondered, glancing at the strange moon.

Nick thought for a few seconds, until he remembered something that Xion had told him during the Great Pretty Cure Invasion.

" _Talk about falling right into a trap," a voice stated. Nick looked over to the right, and leaning against the cliffside was another hooded figure with blue eyes and short black hair. In her hands was a keyblade resembling Nick's original Kingdom Key._

" _Come on, don't tell me you don't see it?" Xion stated. "Xemnas is using you to defeat the Heartless as part of his big master plan."_

" _Wait, wait, I'm confused about two things," Maylin answered. "Why does Organization XIII want to get rid of the Heartless? Isn't that counter-productive to them being here in the first place?"_

 _Xion just sighed in exasperation. "Do I really have to explain it?" Xion groaned. "Every Heartless slain by the keyblade releases a captive heart. That's what the Organization is after."_

" _Then, what are they going to do with the hearts?" Haruka asked._

" _I can't say," Xion answered. "I'm already risking a lot by telling you this."_

"Captive hearts..." Nick whispered before realizing what she had meant by that. "Oh, _shit_. Girls, that's no moon. That's _Kingdom Hearts_!"

"Wait, _what_?!" Maylin shouted. "I thought we locked away Kingdom Hearts after we beat Izanami-no-Mikoto!"

"We did, but I just figured out what the Organization's plan is," Nick continued. "That's what Xion meant when she told us the Organization's collecting the hearts that we free whenever we destroy Heartless. They're taking those hearts and using them to make their own Kingdom Hearts!"

"They're out of their minds!" Marie exclaimed.

"That means we'd better find our way to that castle and finish off the Organization before this gets any worse," Haruka stated.

However, no sooner did the group set off into the strange city than they were surrounded by a large swarm of Nobodies of many different types at the base of a tall skyscraper.

"What the hell?!" Maylin shouted, summoning Spellbinder. "Where did all of _you_ freaks come from?!"

It seemed like every type of Nobody the group had encountered on their journey was now swarming them, with every intent of eliminating them.

"There's too many of them! What do we do?!" Haruka exclaimed, summoning Rumbling Rose.

"Either we stay and fight, or we cut a path through them," Nick responded, summoning Flying Memory to his hands. "What do you girls wanna do?"

Marie had summoned Darkgnaw and was about to blast a path through the swarm, only for someone to fall from the sky and smash her keyblade into the ground, unleashing a radial shockwave of light that decimated a good chunk of the Nobodies, even if they kept spawning in.

"Elyon!" Cornelia exclaimed.

Elyon stood proudly, holding her Starlight keyblade out and causing a group of Nobodies to back away.

"Yeah, who else wants some?!" Elyon shouted, dashing into the fray and swinging Starlight left and right to easily cut down enemy after enemy.

"Let's follow the queen's example and get to stomping, everybody!" Irma proclaimed as she flicked her hand out to summon Abyssal Tide.

The rest of W.I.T.C.H. followed suit, summoning their keyblades and charging into the horde.

Despite the massive numbers of Nobodies, with so many keyblade wielders engaged in battle, it wasn't long before gaps began to show in the gaggle of enemies.

"Hey, Nick!" Elyon exclaimed. "You wanna finish this off with a combination attack?"

"Exactly what I was thinking," Nick proclaimed. "Let's wreck 'em!"

One of the Samurais lunged for them, but Nick and Elyon countered by standing close to each other and unleashing a rapid flurry of attacks to destroy not only the Samurai, but any other Nobodies that got close to them during the barrage.

"That all ya got?" Elyon teased.

A Berserker marched towards them, but Nick and Elyon warped to the Berserker and began stabbing it multiple times from both sides, before leaping back and firing a cannonade of light and dark energy bolts that converged on the Berserker and destroyed it.

"I'll take 'em," Nick stated as more Nobodies rushed them.

First, Nick and Elyon cloaked their keyblades in a magical aura and rushed forward to make two wide slashes, cutting down dozens of Nobodies. After that, Nick and Elyon raised their hands and created thirteen energy blades that they spun around them in a cutting circle, destroying more Nobodies.

"They just keep coming!" Cornelia shouted, smashing Rockbreaker into the ground to create rock spikes around her that shredded a good chunk of Nobodies.

"Then let's finish this," Elyon proclaimed.

Nick nodded, and as more Nobodies tried to overwhelm them, Nick and Elyon leaped into the air, tossing their keyblades above them. The two keyblades pointed towards each other before emanating large energy orbs from them, blue for Elyon's Starlight, and yellow for Nick's Flying Memory.

The two orbs met in the middle and began drawing the Nobodies into them one by one much like a Magnet spell would. After about seven seconds of this, the spheres exploded outwards, going on to completely clear the area of hostiles.

Once everything was calm again, Elyon landed gracefully on the ground, only to be knocked back to the ground by way of Cornelia throwing herself at her.

"Easy, Corny," Elyon giggled. "I'm doing okay, don't worry."

"How long were you stuck in the darkness?" Cornelia asked. "We were so worried about you, you know..."

"It wasn't too long, actually," Elyon admitted. "I found a way out by following Xemnas' trail out of the realm of darkness, and then I booked it before he found me out, since I didn't want to risk a battle with the entirety of the Organization. I may be queen, but even I don't like being outnumbered."

"And yet we were _all_ heavily outnumbered a few minutes ago," Irma teased.

"The difference is, those were generic mooks," Elyon proclaimed.

"...point," Irma conceded.

"I figure you're all here to stop the Organization?" Elyon stated to the group.

"And my daughter," Nick replied.

"W-wha... whoa, whoa, time out here, you've got a _kid_?!" Elyon gasped. "How many chapters did I miss here?"

"Honestly, it's quite the tale," Maylin giggled.

Before Maylin could tell the bullet points of their adventure, a corridor of darkness opened just ahead of the group, and a member of the Organization walked out of it.

"Oh, just decided to cut the middleman out and fight us right here?" Nick taunted.

The figure threw his hands out and summoned two keyblades to his hands, that being Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

"W-wait, he's got _keyblades_?!" Marie shouted.

"Then this must be Roxas," Nick replied, switching his keyblade to Acrossing Two so he could fulfill the promise he'd made to Xion.

And it seemed to be working, as Roxas visibly tensed up upon seeing that keyblade.

"W-where did you get that?" Roxas challenged. Nick simply raised Acrossing Two into a battle stance as Roxas charged and attacked with both keyblades.

When their weapons clashed, Nick was momentarily blinded, and when his vision cleared, he could see himself standing on what appeared to be his Station of Awakening.

Roxas wasted no time and began their fight by hopping back, spinning both keyblades in his hands. Nick steadied himself, only to barely get his own keyblade up in time to block a torrent of light and dark energy circles that had shot out from Roxas's attack.

Nick took his chance to slash at Roxas a few times, only for him to surround himself with light and move around at speeds Nick could barely keep up with.

Once Roxas stopped, he began to lash out at Nick with multiple strikes from differing angles. Nick parried the strikes he could and blocked the ones he couldn't until Roxas jumped back and then shot forward like a lightning bolt, leaving a trail of dark energy behind him. Nick couldn't react to this attack in time and was sent flying clear across the arena, though he was saved from falling off of the platform by an invisible barrier.

"Close one," Nick quipped.

After picking himself up, Nick saw Roxas gliding right towards him, and readied Acrossing Two. Just as Roxas ripped forward with a powerful overhead strike, Nick struck low, knocking Roxas off balance so he could strike with an uppercut that knocked him into the air.

Nick's victory was short-lived, however, when Roxas simply flipped back to his normal posture, then performed a flying somersault down to the platform with keyblades extended, creating a cutting light circle around him as he spun. Nick only had time to leap backwards out of the way.

Roxas stood up, glaring at Nick. "Why do you have that keyblade?" Roxas proclaimed.

"Are you remembering her now?" Nick shot back.

" _Answer me_ , damn you!" Roxas growled, raising Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

Nick took the hint and charged forward, leaping into the air to avoid a low-hanging tornado slash and leap off of Oblivion so he could pop Roxas into the air with a Finishing Leap.

Nick waited for his opportunity, knowing Roxas was most likely going to recover and counter with that somersaulting spin attack. Just as he did, Nick swung Acrossing Two upwards, unleashing a Ripple Drive that sent Roxas stumbling back to the platform.

Just as Nick was about to run in and attack, Roxas swung his keyblades out, and this caused pillars of light to shoot out from him, flying in seemingly random directions to keep Nick guessing.

Roxas stood up, twirling his keyblades before rushing at Nick again, swinging haphazardly and causing more light pillars to fly at Nick.

During a gap in the assault, Nick spun Acrossing Two before swinging it vertically downwards, unleashing a Gravity Break that struck Roxas hard, causing him to lose his balance and the pillars to stop flying towards him.

Nick decided against taking the chance to attack, since he knew Roxas would likely counterattack just as quickly and render his attack moot.

As expected, Roxas surrounded himself with light and glided towards Nick again, this time slashing in an X formation that sent a wave of light and a wave of darkness thundering across the platform towards Nick.

Nick leapt over the attack, facilitating an overhead strike to get the most out of his attack, only for Roxas to parry it with Oathkeeper and shove him back.

Roxas swiftly leapt back, his keyblades extended, before leaping forwards in a powerful spinning attack, his body tinted with both light and darkness as he spun.

Nick slammed Acrossing Two into the ground to propel him into the air, safely out of Roxas's way. Once he landed, the two combatants locked eyes with each other before charging at the same time.

As Roxas continued his charge, Nick juked to the side to avoid a double forward stab, then blasted forward with a Sonic Blade attack that sent Roxas flying back into the air.

After recovering, Roxas swung Oathkeeper and created a wave of light that Nick easily deflected. Nick responded to this by using a Strike Raid to keep Roxas in his place.

"What did you _do_ to her?!" Roxas shouted as he landed on his feet and charged for Nick again.

"What makes you think _I_ did something?!" Nick shot back.

"Why else would you have her keyblade?!" Roxas growled.

The fight quickly devolved into a wild frenzy of attacks, Nick slicing through the empty air with each strike and Roxas returning Nick's attacks double with both of his keyblades.

This stalemate continued for a short while, until Roxas backflipped over Nick to the center of the arena, rising into the air. The aura surrounding him began to shimmer and wobble as he did so, and the purple void around them changed into a rusty, dark orange skyline.

Columns of light and darkness surrounded Roxas as he charged up, giving the arena a rather radiant look reminiscent of a church.

Eventually, Roxas thrust his keyblades to the sky, and this caused wickedly strong bolts of both light and dark electricity to rain down from the heavens and bombard the arena.

Nick had to resort to some wicked dodging to make it through the assault, only to be clipped by one of the bolts and get knocked to the ground. As this happened, the bolts continued to drop from the sky, striking Nick every now and then while he was helpless to avoid it.

Roxas slowly floated back down to the platform as the electric barrage subsided, smirking proudly.

Nick, however, managed to pick himself up, damaged but still able to fight. Roxas inwardly complimented Nick for his tenacity before renewing his double-directional attack.

After a while, the two combatants rushed each other, time seeming to slow down as they approached.

Nick took advantage of a tell in Roxas's stance to avoid his attack and strike back with a Slapshot that sent Roxas into the air and made him lose his grip on his keyblades.

Nick raised his hands and, responding to his unsaid call, the keyblades spun around and flew down to his side, floating behind him.

Nick easily picked up on Roxas's shocked expression, but decided not to give him an opportunity to recover, going immediately on the offensive. Nick noticed that, as he continued his string of combos, Oathkeeper and Oblivion would attack with a will of their own, slashing at Roxas with spinning strikes, forward piercing attacks, and even warping around to strike from multiple angles.

After a while of this, Roxas surrounded himself with light and glided around the arena, not giving Nick a chance to continue attacking him with his own weapons.

Nick stood his ground, inwardly debating what to do next. However, this moment of inaction had cost him, as Roxas had used the light to cloak himself as he warped behind Nick, attempting to throw him with what appeared to be a german suplex.

Nick was able to shake Roxas off, but the Key of Destiny had accomplished his intent; Nick had been distracted enough for Roxas to retake his keyblades.

Deciding he'd mull on that later, Nick began another charge, Acrossing Two held high. Roxas prepared to strike in both directions...

...only for Nick to simply shove him back when he was close enough.

Roxas wondered what Nick had hoped to accomplish there, but when he looked back at Nick, he cursed his own cockiness.

Nick took a step back, twirled Acrossing Two, and ripped forward with a mighty Zantetsuken, cutting straight through Roxas's body.

Roxas stiffened up, his hands opening and his keyblades clattering to the ground and vanishing in streaks of light. He collapsed to his knees before just falling unceremoniously onto his back.

"I didn't hurt her, Roxas," Nick explained. "That evil version of my daughter backstabbed her when she was trying to tell us how to stop them. That's why I have her keyblade, because she wanted to tell you she misses you."

In response, Roxas just smiled. "Hey, if you see here again... tell her I said thanks for holding on to that keyblade," Roxas stated.

"You can tell her that yourself," Nick replied.

Roxas nodded, conceding his defeat as his body faded away. When Roxas had vanished, Nick found himself being transported out of his Station of Awakening and back to the Iridescent Abyss, where everyone was waiting for him to return.

"Is everything okay, Nick?" Cornelia asked.

"Yeah, you just up and disappeared on us!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Did you take care of Roxas?" Marie wondered.

Nick twirled Acrossing Two in his hands. "Another black coat down for the count," Nick proclaimed. "And I fulfilled the promise I made to Xion."

Nick twitched slightly, having sensed hostile intent, and swung Acrossing Two to push his newest attacker away.

To his annoyance, it was another horde of Nobodies, mostly Berserkers and Samurai, but also including a new type of Nobody. This one was mostly light grey, save for a small area on either side of its waist, which was a darker color, and some black markings. It appeared to wear a long robe that covered almost every part of its body, including its face. The Nobody's hands were seemingly permanently connected by the sleeves of the robe, and its individual arms were only distinguishable by the black seam of the sleeves. The Nobody's head sported a black cross pattern that wrapped around the back of its head, and its shoulders were pointed. The lower half of its robe was mostly featureless, except for a few stray black markings and a white Nobody emblem at the bottom.

"Okay, suddenly a new challenger approaches!" Maylin exclaimed.

"That's so not fair," Haruka groaned. "Why do they wait until _now_ to send their higher-ranked flunkies to fight us?"

Nick was about to raise his keyblade to go on the offensive when he felt a powerful surge of energy within him. His entire body began to shine with a large silver aura of light.

Instinctively looking behind him, he noticed that the same silver aura was emanating from Maylin, Haruka, and Marie at the same time.

And they all had wickedly large smiles on their faces, as if they knew what was about to go down.

"I bet you're all thinking the same thing, right?" Haruka quipped.

"I am if you are," Marie giggled.

"Well, what the heck are we waiting for, you guys?!" Maylin proclaimed. "Let's do this thing and send them home crying!"

Nick stood at attention as the girls approached him.

Maylin hugged his right arm.

Haruka took his left hand into her own.

Marie embraced him from behind.

The auras surrounding them joined into one and began to flow into Nick's outfit. Maylin, Haruka and Marie vanished from sight as Nick threw his arms outwards, light exploding from his body and clothes.

The light from Nick's transformation was so intense that even many of the Nobodies backed away, sensing the massive jump in power.

When the light finally faded, the members of W.I.T.C.H. could only stare in awe at Nick's newest Drive Form.

"Can I say 'holy crap, that's awesome?" Irma quipped. "Because _holy crap, that's awesome!_ "

Nick's clothes had changed to shades of silvery white and black, with the symbols on his pant legs resembling an eye with a wind pattern around it. Nick's own Oathkeeper and Oblivion were floating behind him like folded wings, his clothes systematically flickered white, and two large sparkles of pure white light were orbiting around Nick, with a white wisp following them. He was also floating above the ground, his clothes and hair slightly flowing as being held by the wind.

"Now _that_ is _definitely_ what _I'm_ talkin' about!" Final Form Nick proclaimed, his voice sounding like Nick, Maylin, Haruka, and Marie were all talking at the same time. "All right, let's see what this baby is capable of."

One of the Samurai began to attack, but Final Form Nick simply glided forward to meet his opponent, his keyblades opening slightly behind him as if unfolding his 'wings'. Final Form Nick swung his arms and both keyblades telekinetically responded, spiraling around him in sweeping attacks to deal multiple hits to the Samurai.

Another Samurai tried to flank Final Form Nick from behind, but he simply cut a flip in mid-air before thrusting both keyblades forward in drill attacks, defeating that Samurai as well.

A couple Sorcerers began to attack with their magic cubes, but Final Form Nick leaped to avoid the strike. His keyblades began to spin around him, thus protecting him from the cubes.

"Yeah, you're _boned_ now," Final Form Nick taunted, lunging forward and combining his keyblades end-to-end before throwing them forward into the Sorcerers as they rapidly spun. Final Form Nick then telekinetically pulled the keyblades apart and made them clash with each other three times, creating bursts of energy from the clashes that finally destroyed the Sorcerers.

A lone Samurai lurched forward with a one-two slash that actually knocked Final Form Nick into the air, but he quickly recovered and retaliated by spinning his keyblades end-to-end in front of him while floating forward, catching the Samurai in the attack. Final Form Nick then slowly rotated as his keyblades begin rapidly oscillating up and down beside him, dealing rapid damage to the Samurai. Finally, Final Form Nick performed two backflips while rising higher into the air, his keyblades attached to his feet, before diving straight down with the keyblades also pointed downward, splitting the Samurai in half in the process.

One of the Berserkers began to slowly back away, but Final Form Nick wasn't having any of that, laying in to the Berserker with a flurry of spinning attacks before spinning his keyblades in a wide circle, jumping into the air and rotating in a circle, spinning a keyblade on either side of him, then spinning his keyblades outwards before performing a final back flip to the ground, the Berserker already gone.

"Holy crapbaskets, he's _murdering_ them!" Hay Lin exclaimed.

Final Form Nick turned around to face the rest of the swarm, already raising his keyblades to blast them away with magic spells.

Much like Master Form, Final Form Nick's spells acted differently when he used them. Firaga was a large ring of flames extended by a longer ring of fireballs with the finisher adding two more massive rings of fireballs, Blizzaga released two giant chunks of ice at once with the finisher rapidly firing off four alternating ice chunks at a target before Nick turned upside down to fire one last double shot, Thundaga dropping three gigantic bolts of lightning per cast with the finisher dropping multiple massive bolts at once, Aeroga creating a tornado around himself with the finisher creating a much large tornado that exploded outwards with wind blades around it as well to extend its reach, and Waterga causing large bubbles to rise up from underneath its target with the finisher being Final Form Nick surrounding himself with a gigantic bubble before popping it and causing a shockwave of water to emanate outward.

Once Final Form Nick was finished with his berserker magic barrage, not a single Nobody had survived.

"I reiterate," Irma stated. _"HOLY. CRAP. BASKETS."_

"That was _awesome_ , you guys!" Will exclaimed.

"Heh, what'd you expect when we became a silver whirling dervish of ultimate destruction?" Final Form Nick before splitting apart.

"Yeah, that form seems _VERY_ overpowered when you see it in action," Maylin giggled.

"I was gonna suggest we save Final Form for the stupidly-overpowered enemies or the gigantic hordes," Haruka stated. "Wouldn't wanna rely too much on it, right?"

"Oh, wow, I've never been on such a massive power trip before that," Marie laughed.

"All right, everyone, let's get moving," Nick proclaimed. "I don't think we can afford to waste anymore time here."

"Um... slight problem with that," Hay Lin quipped, pointing towards the nearby alleyway that led out of Memory's Skyscraper and into the Brink of Despair. The castle could be clearly seen from this point, but there didn't seem to be an entrance or any way to get in from their current vantage point.

"Ooh, that could _definitely_ be a problem," Maylin stated. "How do you suggest we go about this?"

"Leave that one to me," Elyon replied, walking into the Brink of Despair with the rest of the group following close behind. When they stopped at the very edge of the cliff that signaled a dead end, Elyon raised Starlight, pouring power from the Crown of Light into her keyblade before firing a beam of light that streaked through the darkened sky and towards the castle.

When the beam actually hit the castle, a large pathway made of refracting blue light formed at the edge of the cliff, thus allowing everyone passage into the castle.

"All in who's going in," Elyon laughed as the group began their trek up the path to the castle.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the very top of the castle, Xemnas, the leader of Organization XIII, could be seen gazing up at the heart-shaped moon that was their Kingdom Hearts. More hearts continued to flow from all over into the moon, and Xemnas couldn't be more pleased at the results.

Even if this was the second time he'd tried this, Xemnas understood why he was doing it again, even if he was destined to fail at it a second time.

As soon as Future Lily's plan was complete, it wouldn't matter anyway.

"Yes, my Kingdom Hearts," Xemnas proclaimed. "Rejoice and feast on these hearts we offer. Shine your pale light on this empty realm. Share your power with _all_ Nobodies."

As he continued contemplating, Saïx appeared through a corridor of darkness. "Lord Xemnas. Is Kingdom Hearts ready?"

"Very soon," Xemnas answered.

"Then... I can end this charade?" Saïx wondered.

"Indeed," Xemnas answered.

"How I've waited to hear that," Saïx sneered.

"Just be careful," Future Lily proclaimed, appearing through her own corridor of darkness. "These brats are tricky, after all. They've already slaughtered most of you."

"I do not fear them," Xemnas answered. "And, it is as you have said. Once you are finished, there will be nothing they can do."

Future Lily glanced at her reflection in No Name. Despite everything she'd done, she often wondered what her father would have thought of her for walking the path she did.

 _It was_ _ **because**_ _of him that I'm walking the path I am,_ Future Lily thought. _And that is_ _ **unforgivable.**_

* * *

"I'll give it this," Irma quipped as she swung Abyssal Tide to cut down another Dusk that flew towards her. "It's definitely got the 'spooky castle' vibe down pat."

"So, do we just keep climbing?" Cornelia asked. Elyon had gone ahead to scout for danger and possibly take out a threat or two.

Maylin pointed forwards, towards the large elevator of Crooked Ascension. "Elevator up, you guys!" Maylin proclaimed.

The group took the elevator up to the next floor, occasionally dealing with a few rampant Samurai, before reaching the long, winding stairway of Twilight's View.

"Very homey," Hay Lin giggled.

"I'd be on your guard, everyone," Nick responded. "I've got a feeling we're being watched..."

With that in mind, everyone summoned their keyblades as they made their way up the stairs and into the bottom floor of the Hall of Empty Melodies.

"And that _definitely_ counts as suspicious," Maylin proclaimed. "A big, open room with nothing there? I'm willing to bet..."

Maylin didn't even get to finish her sentence, as a barrage of laser bullets began to fall from the upper balcony of the room. The bullets exploded on impact with the ground and forcing W.I.T.C.H. to take a few steps back to avoid the barrage, only to be locked out from the large platform by a magical barrier.

"Have you been a good boy?" a voice called out from atop the higher balcony.

Having recognized that voice from way back to their first return trip to the Blue Sky Kingdom, Nick glanced up to the balcony and saw Xigbar standing there, his arrowguns at the ready.

"I guess you haven't, huh?" Xigbar quipped. "You know, you little brats have really put us in quite the pickle, haven't you? I guess that's why the keyblade chose you. But oh, _man_ , did it pick a dud this time. Not a _single one_ of you look like you're even _half_ the hero the others were."

"Are you done rambling, old man?!" Nick shot back.

"Rambling? As if," Xigbar retorted. "All I'm trying to say, boy, is that _your time is up._ "

Xigbar wasted no time in combining his two arrowguns into a sniper rifle of sorts and taking aim from his perch.

"Oh, that's not fair!" Maylin shouted. "Stop being a dumb little camper and get down here!"

"You'll have to make me!" Xigbar laughed, firing laser bullets from Sharpshooter and forcing the four keyblade wielders to stay on the move.

When Xigbar decided to fire a larger bullet from his arrowguns, Nick saw something about this particular bullet and skidded to a stop, readying himself for the attack despite the shouts of his friends.

"Gotcha now!" Xigbar exclaimed, firing a much larger blue laser bullet. The Freeshooter definitely didn't expect Nick to bat the bullet back to him with Acrossing Two, then warp around a couple times as the bullet came back to deflect it a second and third time.

"You clever little sneak," Xigbar admitted before warping down to the bottom floor. However, he immediately warped a few feet away, hanging upside down in midair as if the laws of physics didn't apply to him.

"Okay, is that weird to anyone else?" Haruka wondered.

Xigbar began to fire bullets in random patterns from his aerial "perch", leaving Nick to quickly understand that, due to Xigbar's warping abilities, they wouldn't be getting anywhere in this fight unless they found a way to get him back to the ground.

"Heads up!" Xigbar proclaimed, warping to behind Nick for a sneak attack, only for Nick to quickly raise Acrossing Two and deflect the bullets back at Xigbar, knocking him to the ground.

Not intending to waste a single second, Nick was on the move before Xigbar had even touched the ground, slashing at him at least four times before blasting him into the air with a Ripple Drive.

Maylin quickly tagged in, hitting Xigbar with a Blizzaga to the chest followed by a Thundaga from above. Before she could cast a third spell, Xigbar recovered and warped away, using his spatial powers to shift the Hall of Empty Melodies into a long, narrow pathway, with Xigbar perched at the opposite end.

"What do you think of the new backdrop?" Xigbar taunted.

"Dude, is this really the time?" Marie responded, rearing back before launching a Dark Firaga straight for Xigbar. The Freeshooter couldn't warp away in time at the speed the attack was coming and got blasted in the face by it, returning the arena to normal.

"Guess not," Xigbar admitted, returning to his warping-and-shooting strategy.

When Nick deflected another volley of shots and brought Xigbar back to ground level, this time, Haruka was the one to attack, landing three clean hits before ending in her Groundspike finisher, in which she jammed Rumbling Rose into the ground and caused spiked pillars of rock to explode upwards from the ground around her.

Even as he went flying backwards, Xigbar warped away, this time changing the arena into a box-shaped arena with an intersection of platforms meeting in the middle.

"Come on already, get a new act!" Maylin exclaimed, firing off a Thunder spell only to have it fizzle out against invisible barriers lining the intersections. "Oh, you cheap little..."

Marie solved that problem by leaping into the air and unleashing a Dark Break, homing in on Xigbar's darkness to pogo bounce off of his head with Darkgnaw at least five times before dive-bombing him on the sixth, the arena returning to normal.

"All right, guess it's time to get serious," Xigbar stated before once again changing the arena, this time to a small square that barely gave the four wielders any room to move around in. "Look what I saved up for you!"

Xigbar began to warp all over the Hall of Empty Melodies while firing laser barrages from every conceivable angle. Nick and the girls dodged as best they could with their limited space, even if this led to a few bullets clipping them on occasion.

After about a minute of this attack, Xigbar warped to high above the arena, both of his arrowguns glowing with a dark sheen. "Let's see how you dance, boys and girls!" Xigbar laughed.

Xigbar raised his guns to the sky and fired a large blast. Not even a split second later, what appeared to be hundreds upon hundreds of laser bullets were converging on them from all directions.

Nick and Maylin silently nodded to each other before raising both of their keyblades and casting Reflega at the same time, creating two massive prism barriers around the quartet just as the lasers began to batter at them.

"Come on, jewel shield, hold true..." Maylin muttered.

There were so many lasers that the first Reflect couldn't hold and eventually shattered completely, leaving the lasers to continue striking the second barrier.

Thankfully, by the time the barrage had finally stopped, the second barrier was still standing, even though it was very battered and had holes in it from the ferocity of the attack.

Once his attack was over, Xigbar warped down to the ground and right in front of the group, intending to shoot at them through one of the holes in their barrier.

 _Big mistake,_ Nick and Maylin thought.

To Xigbar's surprise, Nick and Maylin slashed their keyblades at the barrier, which shattered and caused myriad lights to burst around them, throwing all the damage the two barriers had absorbed (I think we can safely assume it was a lot of damage) right back into Xigbar, stunning him long enough for Nick to rush up and slice through Xigbar's body with a Zantetsuken.

"I... I lost? _Me?_ " Xigbar gasped as he fell to his knees, unable to hold his arrowguns up anymore.

"All right, you," Nick growled. "What did you mean by 'the others'?!"

In response, Xigbar just laughed derisively, even as his body began to fade away.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Xigbar taunted as his body disappeared into darkness.

Deciding to just write Xigbar's words off for the moment, Nick glanced towards the entryway, where the barrier keeping W.I.T.C.H. away finally dissipated and allowed them to catch up with their friends.

"Wow, that looked pretty intense," Irma quipped. "Kind of a shame we couldn't participate in that."

"Yeah, we would have stomped him so much quicker if it had been nine on one!" Hay Lin proclaimed.

"That leaves three," Haruka stated. "We're almost done here, guys. Let's get moving and finish them off before something else decides to go wrong."

And with that, they left the Hall of Empty Melodies behind, not realizing that Red and Black Fang were watching events unfold from a much higher vantage point.

"Well, I'll be," Red proclaimed. "This castle is simply perfect for my plans. Perhaps we should... acquire it for ourselves. What say you, Black Fang?"

Black Fang didn't look as convinced, glancing up at Kingdom Hearts. "I'll admit, it's a really nice place, and the setup would be perfect, but..." Black Fang stated. "This is an in-between world, which means it's way too close to the darkness. The Heartless won't listen to us here!"

In response, Red simply grinned evilly. "Once again, my dear partner, you underestimate what I am capable of," Red responded, clutching the handle of his staff.

* * *

The group continued to make their way up the castle, passing through Naught's Skyway and dealing with more Nobodies. Despite the large numbers, the Nobodies easily fell to Final Form's astounding power.

"Hey, I can see Kingdom Hearts more clearly from here," Taranee stated.

"I still wonder what exactly they're going to do with it once they've finished it, if they actually do before we're done with them," Marie wondered.

Maylin glanced downwards, towards the neon city below them. Suddenly, a horrific thought came to mind.

"I think I know what they're planning," Maylin admitted, everyone's attention now squarely on her. "The Oracle said this world's actually a sort of defense against dimensional travel, but there's cracks in it thanks to Xehanort's meddling. What if the Organization's trying to create a new Kingdom Hearts to gain the power to destroy those barriers?"

"That is _twenty_ kinds of _not good_ ," Nick realized. "If those barriers fall, that means Xehanort and his own cronies are gonna have free reign of our dimension, and I'm not sure if we can handle all of _that_ at once."

"Then let's move _right stat now_ ," Marie replied. "I think we still have time to stop them."

No more words needed to be said as the group made their way out of Naught's Skyway, through the second floor of the Hall of Empty Melodies, and into Proof of Existence.

This area appeared to be a multi-tiered mock graveyard for the members of the Organization, containing twelve stelas arranged by the rank of each member from left to right then top to bottom, with digital panels in the floor before the stele acting as epitaphs depicting the member's title and weapon. Each of the stelas actually seemed to operate as portals to other rooms in the castle, but ten of them were destroyed, with only two of them still active. The way ahead was blocked by a large ethereal bubble blocking the doorway.

"Aw, nuts, are we stranded?" Hay Lin asked.

"I think we have to go through the two remaining portals and take care of whoever's inside," Haruka responded, studying the gateways. "Most likely Xemnas' last two toadies. Once we get rid of them, we should be able to move on and get to Xemnas before it's too late."

"So, which one should we go to first?" Cornelia asked.

"How about this one?" Nick stated, pointing to the portal that read "The Gambler of Fate". With everyone in agreement, the group crossed through the portal into Havoc's Divide, a large and sloped area with a clear view of Kingdom Hearts.

Before Irma could make a joke about the tiny arena, a corridor of darkness opened up in the middle of the arena, allowing Luxord to step out.

"You!" Nick proclaimed, remembering Luxord from ALfheim Online and how he'd set the Grim Reaper on the raid party.

Luxord grinned and snapped his fingers, causing giant playing cards to appear and circle everyone but Nick. When the playing cards moved away, Nick's allies had vanished.

"What did you do to them?!" Nick shouted, summoning Dimension Tripper to his hands.

"I'd rather we just skip the formalities," Luxord responded, raising his hands and causing an hourglass charm to appear on Nick's chest. When Nick looked up, he saw a similar charm on Luxord's body as well.

"The first to run out of time is the loser," Luxord continued.

"All right, then, you're on, gambler boy," Nick proclaimed.

 _TIME START  
_ _Nick: 20:00  
_ _Luxord: 20:00_

Nick decided to cut out the middleman and charge right for Luxord, only for him to place a shield of cards in front of him. Nick slashed through the cards quickly and prepared to strike Luxord, only for another card to fly out of nowhere and strike Nick in the chest, sending him crashing into a nearby wall.

 _Nick: 19:30  
_ _Luxord: 19:10_

"Talk about a sore loser when it comes to poker players," Nick joked, checking his hourglass. He had only lost a little time to that last attack, whereas Luxord's seemed to be emptying a little faster than his own.

"A joker, are you?" Luxord replied, holding up two more larger cards and flinging them towards Nick, who simply slashed Dimension Tripper through them. When he looked up again, Nick noticed that Luxord's time was going down slightly faster for each card that he cut down. And Luxord seemed to not notice this, giving Nick a fiendish idea.

 _Nick: 19:15  
_ _Luxord: 18:50_

"Come on, you poker washout, you call _that_ cutting the deck?" Nick shouted. To his enjoyment, Luxord took the bait and flung more cards towards Nick that quickly joined the shredded remains of the other cards Nick had already cut down thus far.

 _Nick: 19:07  
_ _Luxord: 17:20_

"Where's your eye for the game, numbnuts?!" Nick taunted. More cards, all of them cut down. However, unbeknownst to Nick, Luxord had finally caught on to Nick's scheme, and threw a bigger card towards him.

 _Nick: 18:52  
_ _Luxord: 14:33_

"He's making this too easy," Nick quipped, swinging Dimension Tripper to cut down the larger card, only for it to disappear before he could complete his swing.

"What?" Nick gasped just as the card reappeared and slashed at him multiple times from different angles. When Nick was finally able to retaliate and destroy the card, he had lost a good chunk of his remaining time.

 _Nick: 15:22  
_ _Luxord: 14:21_

"That was lucky," Nick proclaimed.

"Luck is like that," Luxord stated. "A window of opportunity can open and close in the blink of an eye. It's whether or not you can jump on the chance when it arises that determines a man's fate. Let's hope you can stand up to the odds."

Luxord surrounded himself with cards before leaping into one and shuffling five of them across the floor and eventually having them surround Nick.

"Look closely now," Luxord taunted.

Nick stood still and studied the cards as they floated around him. He saw four types of cards: a card that had nothing on the back, a card that had a fireball on the back, which would most likely damage him, a card that had a clock on the back of it, which Nick realized he should stay away from, and a card with Luxord on the back.

When he saw Luxord's card get close to him, Nick made his move, tapping the card that showed Luxord with Dimension Tripper, pulling the Gambler of Fate out of the card and leaving him vulnerable. Nick took this chance to start attacking, landing five hits before leaping into the air, slashing for more times and finishing with a Hurricane Period, pushing Luxord back towards the entryway.

 _Nick: 14:08  
_ _Luxord: 12:31_

"How'd that feel?" Nick challenged.

"A challenge, is it?" Luxord responded, setting four cards up in front of him that rapidly rotated between showing Xs and Os on their faces.

"Do you know the rules?" Luxord asked. Nick watched the shifting patterns until they slowed down enough for him to slash Dimension Tripper through the card with the O, causing Luxord's time to drain more and giving Nick an opportunity to blast the Gambler of Fate with a Thundaga spell from above.

 _Nick: 13:44  
_ _Luxord: 09:37_

"Hey, it looks like I'm gonna win," Nick taunted.

"Don't squander your time," Luxord proclaimed, once again surrounding himself with cards, this time throwing the cards at Nick before he could react. Nick jumped and dodged to the side to avoid the cards that were flying at him at incredible speeds. Nick was able to cut a few of them down, but he opted to simply dodge the faster ones and not risk losing time unnecessarily.

"Who's the one squandering?" Nick laughed, leaping over another card and swinging Dimension Tripper to cut down a card that had been approaching from behind.

"Still quite the joker, I see," Luxord replied, flinging more cards from his seemingly unlimited supply towards Nick, who cut them down with his keyblade one by one. After a while of this, Nick leaped towards a nearby wall, then propelled himself off of it and towards Luxord, using a Magnet Splash to slam Gambler of Fate into a nearby wall.

 _Nick: 13:09  
_ _Luxord: 06:54_

"Look who's on top of the game!" Luxord shouted as he disappeared and littered the arena floor with dozens of his cards. Nick began to dodge the ones he could even as Luxord continued to teleport around and slash him with larger cards. Nick tried to make sure to avoid as many attacks as possible, as those larger cards seemed to take quite a bit of time off of him when he got hit by them.

 _Nick: 05:09  
_ _Luxord: 05:27_

After about two minutes of this, Luxord retreated to the entryway, blocking Nick's pathway with a row of gigantic cards that formed a wall around them.

Four of the cards began to cycle through showing Xs and Os on their faces, just like before.

"Watch closely," Luxord taunted.

Nick studied the cycles for a few seconds, then pointed towards the first card with Dimension Tripper just as it hit O and stayed there. Even so, the other three cards continued to cycle.

 _Guess I gotta get O on all of them,_ Nick thought.

After catching the third O, the last one began cycling so fast that it was hard for Nick to keep track of, but he kept himself focused, knowing this one was going to determine the outcome of this fight.

Deciding to just take a chance, Nick pointed Dimension Tripper towards the last card.

It had stopped on the O.

While Luxord gasped in shock, Nick raised his free hand, and all of the nearby cards flew into his hand.

Flashing a grin to Luxord, Nick threw the cards out so that they all struck Luxord at once, rapidly dropping his remaining time to one second.

While Luxord was staggered, Nick was already on the move, ripping forward with a Zantetsuken.

And that was the end of it.

 _FINAL RESULT  
_ _Nick: 03:01  
_ _Luxord: 00:00_

Luxord dropped to his knees, his strength rapidly fading. "You... you play the game quite well," Luxord conceded as he faded back into darkness, accepting his defeat with grace.

Once Luxord had faded away, a few more cards appeared, floated around the arena, and vanished, returning the rest of the group to Havoc's Divide.

"Holy crap, Nick, are you okay?!" Maylin exclaimed.

"Yeah, no worries," Nick responded. "Let's keep moving."

After crossing back to the Proof of Existence, the portal crumbled to dust and rubble behind them, leaving only the one portal at the far right of the room, which read "The Luna Diviner".

"Just one more and we can go after the big cheese," Irma stated. "Let's hope this guy actually puts up a fight."

"Um, Irma, I wouldn't be saying that if I were you," Will admonished as the group crossed through the portal to Addled Impasse, a large chamber with a massive stained-glass window that gave a clear view of Kingdom Hearts, even as more hearts continued to flow into it. "Knowing our luck, the next guy we fight could be super difficult."

And sure enough, Saïx was standing by the window waiting for them, his claymore, Lunatic, clutched in his hands.

"You've done well, Nick," Saïx admitted. "Much better than we ever expected, and definitely much better than Sora did."

"All right, you, where's Elyon?!" Cornelia shouted. "We haven't seen her at _all_ since we entered the castle. Did you jerks do something to her?!"

Saïx simply scoffed. "Who really knows? I expect that she's catching up with her 'friend' from the darkness," Saïx proclaimed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cornelia shot back, summoning Earthshaker to her hands.

"She doesn't need _you_ anymore, Cornelia," Saïx taunted.

"Oh, what, like we're supposed to _believe_ that pack of lies?!" Nick proclaimed, aiming Dimension Tripper for Saïx.

Hefting Lunatic onto his shoulder, Saïx took a couple steps forward. "Well, you don't have to if you don't want to. But you _can_ believe _this_ , keyblade wielders. Organization XIII has determined that you have outlived your usefulness. Look there."

Saïx pointed towards Kingdom Hearts in the distance. "Our Kingdom Hearts," Saïx proclaimed. "Thanks to all of you, we have collected countless hearts. Can you feel their euphoria?"

Saïx turned Lunatic over in his hands, revealing its razor-sharp edges. "And now... you _die_ ," Saïx growled, his voice sounding much more unhinged.

"It's nine on one this time, nutball," Hay Lin reminded, summoning Wind Maker. "You really think you can take on all of us at once?"

Saïx raised his hands to the sky. "Moon, shine down," Saïx proclaimed, rising into the air while Lunatic began to glow, his body wrapped in what appeared to be bright blue flames.

"Um, does anyone think we should move?" Taranee asked.

Sure enough, Saïx let out a feral roar before dropping back to the ground and swinging Lunatic wildly. Each swing of his claymore created blue shockwaves in abundance.

"Yeah, we need to move!" Maylin exclaimed, and the entire group scattered in different directions to avoid Saïx's berserk attack.

Haruka, always known for noticing things others didn't, began studying Saïx as he rampaged around the room, creating shockwaves wherever he struck and even throwing what appeared to be copies of his claymore to create even larger shockwaves.

"Any suggestions, guys?!" Hay Lin shouted over the din of Saïx's roaring.

"I think we need to knock him out of his rampage," Haruka explained. "Notice how he immediately went berserk when the fight started? I can tell that he relies mostly on his berserk state to do battle, so I think if we can knock him out of it, he'll be easy pickings for all nine of us."

"Okay, but how do we do _that_?" Irma asked, firing off a quick Water spell to douse some of the flames left behind by Saïx's shockwaves and give her some breathing room.

"I'd try going for one of those copy claymores," Haruka quipped.

"Leave that one to me," Nick proclaimed, rushing towards one of the dropped claymores while Saïx was on the other end of the room, and picked it up in his hands, suddenly floating a bit off the ground as he did so.

Saïx approached quickly, still swinging Lunatic like a, well, lunatic, and even though he struck Nick with it a few times, it didn't push him back or stagger him.

Nick took his chance to attack while Saïx was surprised, swinging the claymore overhead three times, each hit lifting Saïx into the air, before finishing with a barrage of spinning strikes that broke Saïx's berserk state, causing him to lose his blue glow as he fell to the floor.

"Ugh... I misjudged you..." Saïx admitted.

"Damn right you did," Will proclaimed, lifting Innocent Sign.

All nine keyblade wielders charged towards Saïx and struck at the same time with their weapons.

Saïx could only stand in place for a few seconds before losing his grip on Lunatic, which clattered to the ground and vanished into nothingness. Looking up towards the heart-shaped moon in the distance, Saïx weakly reached for it in his last breaths.

"Kingdom Hearts..." Saïx gasped. "Where... is my heart?"

With that, Saïx had spoken his last, collapsing to his knees and fading away.

"Ooooookay, is it me, or was that fight kinda an anti-climax?" Irma wondered.

"Like I said, it was nine against one," Hay Lin giggled. "And we're all keyblade wielders. He didn't stand a chance."

"Come on, girls, we need to get going," Nick proclaimed. "All that's left is Xemnas, then we need to find Lily and end this once and for all."

With everyone agreeing to get the lead out, the group made their way back through the portal to Proof of Existence, and now that the way forward was finally open, crossing through Naught's Approach, a walkway on the outside of the main tower, and into Ruin and Creation's Passage, a large room with floating platforms over a gigantic abyss and paths that remained invisible until approached.

After leaping up to slice a Sniper in half, Nick noticed something strange coming from the entryway to this room.

Marie suddenly stiffened in her spot, and Nick knew something bad was about to happen. Sure enough, when Nick glanced back towards the entryway, he saw what must have been thousands upon thousands of Heartless swarming in, almost like a tidal wave.

"Oh, crap! MOVE IT!" Maylin shouted, and the group charged up the pathways towards the upper exit even as the Heartless continued to slowly but surely march upwards.

Even when they finally reached the exit to the Altar of Naught, the problem just seemed to get worse, as still more Heartless were now pouring in from the windows and ceiling of the room.

"Oh, god, there's gonna be no end to this!" Marie shouted.

"Come on, we can stop 'em!" Irma exclaimed. "All of us together!"

Feeling more invigorated by Irma's words, the entire group readied their keyblades for a skirmish...

...only to be interrupted by Red and Black Fang appearing in front of them through corridors of darkness.

"W-what the heck?!" Will shouted.

"Be gone, Guardians," Red proclaimed, hefting his staff. "Leave these foul creatures to us."

"Um... let me see if I've got this right," Cornelia stated. "You two are _helping_ us?!"

"Red, there's no way we can take them all," Black Fang admitted. "Just look at how many there are!"

"Make no mistake, Black Fang, I will be sending them after Xemnas and that girl," Red answered. "Unless... you'd rather fight them on your own?"

Black Fang looked around at the Heartless swarm, then the keyblade wielders, considering all of his options.

"Frankly, buddy, I'd rather _run_!" Black Fang shouted.

"Off with you, then," Red stated.

Black Fang was about to actually turn and run, only to nearly crash into Elyon, who had come down from the Altar of Naught to investigate the surge of darkness she'd sensed.

"Well, if it isn't miss sprightly queen," Black Fang mocked.

"It's up to you if you want to run away," Elyon stated, Starlight resting on her shoulder.

"What, you mean abandon ship? You're out of your mind," Black Fang responded.

Red glanced back at his enemies, a smirk on his face. "Do not misunderstand this, you brats," Red proclaimed. "This is not redemption for me. I am merely paying you back for what happened during the Invasion. And do not forget, once I have destroyed them all, this castle will be _mine_."

"Hey, opportunities like this don't come along every day, you know," Black Fang replied before joining his master in a fighting stance. "Bring it on!"

After readying his own personal weapon, Red and Black Fang charged towards the horde of Heartless, already flinging dark magic attacks every which way to blast clusters of Shadows aside.

"We have to hurry up," Elyon proclaimed.

"But what about them?" Nick retorted. "Villains or not, we can't just let them get turned into Heartless chow! That's a fate worse than any death!"

Elyon just shook her head. "They're doing what their hearts command. We can't interfere with that," Elyon explained. "Besides, we need to take this chance while we can."

Nick glanced back at the two villains, still knocking Heartless aside with wild abandon, and realized that Elyon was right.

After a quick regroup in which Elyon used her Healing Light spell to fully heal any wounds the group had taken fighting their way through the castle, they all made their way through the gateway and into the Altar of Naught, then up the final stairway to the very top of the castle, where, predictably, Xemnas was waiting for them, beckoning towards Kingdom Hearts.

"Soon," Xemnas stated, acting as if he didn't know the group was there. "Soon, it will be time, and then we may begin. Warriors of the keyblade, go forth and bring me more hearts."

The entire group summoned their keyblades with a rather dramatic cry of "NEVER!", all pointing their weapons towards Xemnas.

"Denizens of light, answer me this question," Xemnas asked. "Why do you hate the darkness so?"

Irma chuckled before lowering Abyssal Tide slightly. "Aw, come on, we don't _hate_ the darkness," Irma admitted. "Sometimes, it's just kind of... well, _scary."_

"But the world... this entire universe is made of both light _and_ darkness," Haruka proclaimed. "One can't exist without the other, because they're two sides of the same coin."

"Makes you wonder why we're scared of the dark sometimes, heh," Marie admitted.

"It's because of what's lurking inside it, right?" Will answered.

"Then allow me another question," Xemnas continued, unconvinced. "You claim to accept darkness, yet choose to live in the light. So why is it you loathe us who teeter so precariously on the edge of nothing, turned away by both light and darkness, and never given a choice?"

"Simple, really," Nick replied, switching his keyblade to Oathkeeper. "It's because of what you and your kind do to our worlds."

"That may be. But... what other choice might we have had?" Xemnas explained.

"Oh, put a sock in it, robe boy!" Maylin shouted, hoping to put Xemnas on edge to give them an advantage. "You're just a bunch of Nobodies who don't even exist! Stop claiming you're sad about this or that when you're _not sad about ANYTHING!_ "

Maylin winked to her comrades to let them know she didn't personally think that way, having seen proof that even Nobodies could grow new hearts over time. She'd seen it personally when Axel had defended Hayate from his own foot soldiers.

However, Xemnas simply laughed it off. "Very good, young mage. You don't miss a thing," Xemnas stated. "I cannot feel... sorrow. No matter what misery befalls the worlds. No matter what you think... what you feel... or how you exist."

Nick had just about had enough of Xemnas' speech and prepared himself to attack, only for Xemnas to raise his hands and cause a circle of energy to surround the Altar of Naught.

After just a few seconds, the light became too bright to see, and Nick was forced to shield his eyes.

When he could see again, Nick was seemingly alone, having been pulled into an illusory room which was comprised of the large skyscraper he'd seen back in the dark city and almost nothing else.

Xemnas was standing in front of him, extending two long, lightsaber-like blades from his sleeves.

Nick readied himself as Xemnas glided closer, swinging Interdiction twice in wide attacks. Nick quickly parried both hits with Oathkeeper before striking back with a quick three-hit combo.

Before Nick could use a finisher, Xemnas wrapped himself in a sphere of darkness and moved a short distance away. Nick rushed over to attack Xemnas as he came out of it, only for Xemnas to raise his hand and create a lattice barrier in front of him, forcing Nick to skid to a stop.

"Note to self, _do not touch_ the barrier," Nick quipped to himself.

When the barrier dissipated, Nick immediately went back on the offensive, smacking Xemnas around with baseball-style swings, only to be blasted backwards by another barrier.

This didn't discourage Nick, who quickly righted himself and charged back towards Xemnas like an all-star slugger after the game-winning hit. When he got close enough (and the barrier had vanished), Nick began to spin circles around Xemnas, his keyblade creating gleaming after-images in its wake. Xemnas was sucked into the path of the spinning keyblade and sent stumbling a few feet back.

Xemnas retreated into his dark sphere, only to move to behind Nick and start performing a long-winded but graceful combo that forced Nick to put all his focus into defending himself. It was tricky at times, but Nick was able to block or deflect each attack.

However, Xemnas wasn't finished just yet, and again warped to behind Nick and striking him with a large bolt of lightning before he could react. Wondering why he could suddenly feel his strength draining, Nick quickly saw that three large crystals were surrounding him, occasionally zapping him with small bolts of electricity.

Xemnas retreated to the base of the skyscraper before warping himself up to the top of it. "Come closer, if you dare..."

Nick decided to take the possible bait, running up to the base of the skyscraper and spinning Oathkeeper around him to shatter the crystals that were shocking him. Glancing upwards towards the top, he saw Xemnas waiting for him.

Deciding not to keep him waiting, Nick spun his keyblade in his hands before switching it to Oblivion and jumping off of a nearby guard rail so he could start running up the side of the skyscraper.

As Nick continued to wall run, Xemnas leaped off of the roof to meet him, extending his energy blades as he did so.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Nick and Xemnas approached each other.

Xemnas attempted to strike with both of his blades in a double forward stab, but Nick raised Oblivion to parry the attack before vaulting over Xemnas. Never one to waste an opportunity, Nick smashed Oblivion downwards, striking Xemnas and throwing him down towards the ground.

Nick immediately pursued, and right when they reached the third floor, Nick and Xemnas traded attacks for a bit before Nick was able to catch Xemnas off guard and slam him directly into the skyscraper.

The force of this sudden attack left Xemnas stunned as he fell unceremoniously to the ground, giving Nick all the time he needed to finish the battle with a Zantetsuken.

Xemnas just glanced at Nick in his death throes, accepting of his defeat.

"So... it wasn't a fallacy..."

His last words spent, Xemnas fade away, leaving Nick alone in Memory's Contortion.

"All right, now how exactly do I get out of here?" Nick wondered, slinging Oblivion over his shoulder.

The answer to that came in the form of Memory's Contortion distorting heavily, almost appearing to glitch out. After another bright flash that forced Nick to shield his eyes, he was back on the Altar of Naught, where all of his allies were understandably worried for him.

"Jeez, Nick, you really need to stop vanishing on us," Irma laughed.

"How'd you do?" Cornelia asked, sounding hopeful.

Nick just smiled, holding his keyblade proudly. "Ladies, Organization XIII is officially no more."

"SWEET!" Maylin shouted. "One problem down, and only one more to go!"

"Did someone call for me?"

Nick didn't even have to look behind him to know who was calling to him.

"Maybe," Nick quipped, turning around to face his future daughter. "What's it to you?"

"I take it you've already figured out what I intend to do with the power of Kingdom Hearts?" Future Lily stated.

"Why else do you think we're here?" Irma teased.

"And I assume you honestly think you'll be able to stop me?" Future Lily laughed, leveling No Name towards Nick.

"Lily, haven't we been over this before?" Nick quipped, hoping he could get through to her.

"I'm warning you this one time," Future Lily growled, already on edge after her last conversation with Xemnas. "Don't try and pull any of your nonsense over my head."

"After what you did when we fought Grima, I really thought I'd gotten through to you in some way, Lily," Nick continued, ignorant of Future Lily's warnings. "What would _your father_ think of this path you've chosen for yourself?"

Darkness exploded from Future Lily's body at this, forcing everyone backwards with its sheer pressure alone.

"MY FATHER IS THE _REASON_ I'M WALKING THE PATH I AM, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Future Lily screamed. "I LOST EVERYTHING TO THE HEARTLESS, AND YOU SERIOUSLY ASSUME YOU KNOW MY PAIN?!"

Nick steadied himself, casting a Reflega barrier in front of everyone to protect them from whatever Future Lily was about to do.

He definitely didn't expect Future Lily to leap into the air, seemingly transform her keyblade into metallic wings, and start flying into the air, away from the group...

...and towards Kingdom Hearts.

"Oh, crap, she's retreating?!" Hay Lin shouted.

"No, she's going for Kingdom Hearts!" Haruka exclaimed.

Future Lily slowed to a stop just in front of Kingdom Hearts and placed her hand directly onto it, feeling its power begin to flow into her.

"Hear me, o great Kingdom Hearts, origin of every heart," Future Lily proclaimed. "It seems that our time has come. But know this. I will grant you as many hearts as it takes for our purpose to be realized. I granted you all the power you now hold, thanks to that meddlesome Organization. It makes sense that you can no more be complete than I without you. O great Kingdom Hearts, lend me your power, so that we may erase this entire multiverse! The power to recreate everything! The power to erase the _fools_ that hinder us!"

"Lily, stop it!" Nick shouted. "This isn't what your family would have wanted!"

"Hearts quivering with hatred..." Future Lily chanted, her body and essence bursting to full with the power that Kingdom Hearts was granting her. "Hearts burning with rage... hearts scarred by envy... so many believe the heart's true nature to be beyond understanding. But it's not beyond _mine_! _Hearts are the source of all power!_ "

Kingdom Hearts began to shine with a massive, otherworldly light, and eventually sucked Future Lily straight into it.

"Um, where'd she go?" Irma gasped. "Did she actually go straight _into_ Kingdom Hearts?!"

"I really can't believe _that's_ supposed to be _your_ daughter in another dimension, Nick," Hay Lin replied.

"I don't think we have time to be sitting around, girls," Nick stated. "We have to find a way to follow her!"

As if fate had been waiting for Nick to say that, sparkles of light began to converge near Kingdom Hearts, eventually forming into a gigantic door. Light began to leak from the underside of the door, forming a luminescent path to the door that connected to the Altar of Naught.

"Well, ask a silly question," Nick laughed.

"I think... the worlds gave us this doorway," Elyon gasped as she realized the implications. "The worlds, the people on them, the friends all of you have made... it seems they want us to be the guardians of their destiny."

"Well, then who the heck are we to say no?" Will stated. "Let's do this thing already!"

Marie took a few steps forwards, towards where Nick was standing. "Once we go through that door, there's no turning back," Marie proclaimed. "It's victory... or oblivion."

Marie glanced back at her brother. "So, big bro... are you ready?"

 _To be concluded..._

* * *

 _New Drive Form acquired!_

 **Final Form  
** _Form Focus:_ Merge with the spirits of Maylin, Haruka, and Marie to unleash the keyblade's true power.  
 _Drive Gauge Points Used:_ **5  
** _Advancing Form Ability:_ **Glide** (Press [] in mid-air to ride the wind. Keep the button pressed down for longer action.)  
 _Action Abilities:  
_ **Final Arcana:** Handling the keyblade with great skill, unleashes a powerful finishing combo move to a single target.  
 **Final Strike:** While spinning in midair, deals a powerful finishing combo move to a single target.  
 **Final Arts:** Unleashes a powerful finishing combo move to get rid of several targets at once.  
 **Auto Assault:** The keyblade automatically unleashes attacks in various situations.  
 **Crime & Punishment:** A keyblade held in each hand unleashes powerful magic spells.  
 _Support Abilities:  
_ **Synch Blade:** Equips a keyblade in each hand. The ability of the left hand weapon becomes available as well.  
 **Form Boost:** Increases the duration of the user's Drive Forms, slowing down the consumption of the Form Gauge.  
 **MP Hastega:** Increases MP restoration speed by 75% after MP is fully consumed. Equip more to increase the effect.

* * *

On the next episode:

Maylin: THIS IS IT, EVERYBODY! At long last, the finale has arrived!

Haruka: Why does this particular journey feel like it took so much longer, despite how long it _actually_ was?

Marie: Well, there _were_ the other stories the author's been working on, right?

Nick: Oh, please don't start breaking the fourth wall like Neptune does. Her antics are enough...

Haruka: Next time is the final battle, dear readers! We're heading into Kingdom Hearts itself to stop the evil Lily from using its power to destroy all of existence!

Maylin: We're not spoiling any of the fun, so you'll just have to come and read it for yourself! But trust me, it's going to be one heck of a showdown!

Nick: Next time on the final episode of _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II_ , "The Beginning of the End"!

Nick, Maylin, Haruka & Marie: May your hearts be your guiding key!


	26. The Beginning of the End

Nick made sure to take a good look at the door that would be their gateway into Kingdom Hearts, to their final battle with his future daughter.

They'd all come a long way to make it to this point, after all.

Through many trials and tribulations, Nick and his friends and allies had stayed strong throughout, even when fate tried to push them to their limits.

Nick never thought of himself as a quitter. If there was something he wanted to do, he would get it done, damn the torpedoes.

Nick had never thought he'd ever see his sister again after being forced to kill her to stop Izanami-no-Mikoto, but he'd never been more happy to be wrong in his life.

Nick had no idea he was actually reincarnated from his old self in the age of fairy tales, an ancient keyblade wielder who had been groomed to be a new Union leader in the Dandelions.

So many adventures had been had on this quest.

But Nick knew that if they didn't stop Future Lily here and now, all of existence was at risk of being destroyed.

And he'd made a promise to Strelitzia to protect the multiverse from whatever threatened it.

As Nick approached the pathway to the door, he heard a voice in his head, much like the one that had guided him through his Dive Into the Heart so very long ago.

 _Beyond this door is the beginning of the end of your journey. Are you_

 _prepared for what lies ahead?_

"Oh, you'd better believe I'm ready," Nick stated as all ten keyblade wielders raised their weapons towards the door, shooting beams of light that all intersected on its lock and undid it, allowing the door to open and reveal a portal of refracting white light that led to whatever Future Lily had in store for them.

"I hope _you're_ ready, Lily, because this ends _now_ ," Nick proclaimed.

* * *

(In your hand, take this key. So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend. No ocean will contain you then. No more borders around, or below, or above, so long as you champion the ones you love. May your hearts be your guiding key.)

 **The Blue Time Ranger** is proud to present:  
 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ **Story Created:** January 2nd, 2017  
 **Story Rated:** T for Teen

 **Starring:** **  
**_Bryce Papenbrook_ as **Nick Kelly  
** _Eden Riegel_ as **Marie Kelly  
** _Cassandra Lee Morris_ as **Maylin Rae / Meiling Li  
** _Cherami Leigh_ as **Haruka Rose  
** _Kelly Stables_ as **Will Vandom  
** _Candi Milo_ as **Irma Lair  
** _Kali Troy_ as **Taranee Cook  
** _Christel Khalil_ as **Cornelia Hale  
** _Liza del Mundo_ as **Hay Lin  
** _Christine Marie Cabanos_ as **Lily Kelly  
** _Serena Berman_ as **Queen Elyon Portrait**

 **Story Summary:** A year has passed since Nick, Maylin, and Haruka saved the heart of all worlds from being consumed by the darkness. Things are getting back to normal in Heatherfield, but true peace is always a fleeting dream. New arrivals start pouring in, including a girl from the future who claims to be the daughter of two of the Guardians, strange new creatures very much unlike the Heartless, and a group of black-hooded tyrants who only aim to bring destruction to the worlds. To save the multiverse from these new threats, Nick, Maylin, and Haruka must once again take up their keyblades and travel through many worlds to keep the balance of light and darkness in check. But what does the mysterious Organization XIII truly want with the worlds?

 **On Today's Episode:** The final battle has begun. Future Lily has retreated inside Kingdom Hearts in hopes of obtaining all the power she needs to wipe existence clean and start anew. It falls to Nick and the Guardians to take her out before it's too late. What tricks will Future Lily pull out to get her way, and can she be stopped before it's too late for all of existence?

 **And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to W.I.T.C.H. or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Elisabetta Gnone and Disney if we're talking the cartoon. The only things of this story I DO own are any characters created by yours truly for the story. Any characters or things I don't own, I am just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of my readers. The same goes for any anime, video game, or comic book series that will be represented here. Besides, if I did own W.I.T.C.H., which I don't, why would I be writing fiction on a fan site?

* * *

Episode 26: The Beginning of the End (FINAL EPISODE)

Despite everything, Nick couldn't help but marvel at what he saw on the opposite side of the door. It seemed large enough to fit an entire world inside of it, and everything seemed to glow shades of purple and blue.

"Man, who'd have thought the heart of all worlds could house a world inside it?" Maylin quipped. "So freaky..."

"Look, over there!" Marie exclaimed, pointing towards something in the distance.

Far off into the horizon was a gigantic and draconian battleship connected to a more sci-fi ship with two large engines that resembled opened flowers. The dragon had a small main body, a long, segmented neck, and a round head with numerous tall, thin spikes lining it. Its mouth was somewhat beak-like and concealed a large throne where an armored figure sat. The throne was adorned with large spikes and other additives that resembled the Nobody emblem, and large, seemingly organic, orange objects connected the armored figure to the battleship. The dragon's wings were thin, angular, and each of them were emblazoned with a black Nobody symbol at the joint. Each wing also had several thin, black and white "feathers" with tips resembling the Nobody logo. Its thin arms ended in three-fingered, segmented hands and each arm was lined by four blue diamond-shaped spikes of increasingly smaller size. In place of legs, the Dragon Ship had two massive, conical engines with two smaller engines on either side of the main ones. It also had a long, thin tail with four conical objects connected to its tip. The dragon was predominantly colored in light shades of silver and metallic blue.

And at the very top of the structure that the Dragon Ship protected was Future Lily, clad in a black coat and holding No Name up to the sky.

"So, it seems your hearts have led you to obliteration," Future Lily proclaimed. Despite the distance that separated them, Nick and his friends could hear her clearly. "Maybe it doesn't pay to be too loyal to one's heart."

 **("Mezame" by Yuki Kajiura feat. Hanae Tomaru plays)**

Future Lily pointed No Name towards her enemies, and a nearby building ripped itself out of its foundation and began flying towards them.

"I'll have to be sure and remember that."

Nick immediately started running backwards, his allies following suit, as the building approached them. Thanks to Nick's quick thinking, the building only struck the ground, collapsing into rubble soon after.

However, the force of the impact had pushed Elyon and all of W.I.T.C.H. back to the other side of the door, which was already closing on them.

"No!" Marie shouted as the door closed completely.

"We can take her," Maylin proclaimed. "We did before, remember?"

"I couldn't agree more," Haruka answered.

"Let's end this, girls," Nick stated.

The quartet summoned their keyblades and charged forward down the large canyon-like city street, towards the Dragon Ship in the distance.

Almost instantly, the first problem presented itself, as buildings began to rise up in their path, seemingly preventing them from going any further.

But Nick wasn't one to be discouraged, not after going so far. Taking a step back to avoid one last rising building and twirling the Ultima Weapon in his hands, Nick lunged forward, swinging his keyblade multiple times, so fast that the others only saw the streaks of light from his slashes.

Once Nick was finished, he was on the other side of the buildings, his keyblade down, and looked back as the buildings collapsed into pieces of rubble and debris, thus allowing his friends safe passage.

"That was cool, buddy," Maylin giggled as she kissed Nick on the cheek.

Together, the four of them crossed through the gateway into the World of Nothing, where the Dragon Ship was just menacingly overlooking their run.

A few seconds later, the entire Dragon Ship rose into the air before crashing straight back down, causing an earthquake to rock the entire pathway and bounce the keyblade wielders up to a higher path.

Nonetheless, they kept running towards the ship, even as more buildings began to soar towards them.

"I think I see our way up to the ship," Haruka quipped.

"Oh, you're not the only one?" Nick teased.

As the buildings came closer, Nick and the girls leaped into the air, their jumps taking them high enough to reach the buildings and cleave them in half with a single slash from their keyblades.

This allowed them to leap off of the fragments to other buildings, then cleave those in half and continue using the fragments to cross the massive abyss until they reached the walkways outside of the Dragon Ship's power generators.

"Okay, what do we do here?" Maylin wondered.

As if to answer that, a gaggle of strange-looking Nobodies appeared above them, resembling those little exploding nuisances out in the Lanes Between on gummi routes.

"I say we knock those things into the generators," Nick stated. "I have this feeling we need to blow them both up to access the core of this monstrosity."

"Good thinking, fearless leader!" Maylin exclaimed as she jumped to whack one of the Nobodies with Spellbinder, sending it flying into the generator.

"That's my big bro for you, always the man with the plan," Marie giggled as she spun Darkgnaw around her, knocking three of the Bomb Bells into the generator.

After about a minute of this, Haruka noticed that the generator appeared to be charging up for something.

"Oh, crap," Haruka gasped. "Guys, _get out of the way!_ "

Everyone else listened and promptly leaped to a banister situated between the two generators as the one they had just escaped fired a massive, pulsating laser beam.

"Holy crap, talk about close shaves," Maylin sighed.

When the laser dissipated, the group leaped back down to the west walkway to continue damaging the generator.

Soon enough, the generator began to collapse, and the four hightailed it back up to the banister and onto the walkway of the east generator so they wouldn't get caught in the explosion of the dying generator.

It wasn't long before the other generator fell as well, and the group leaped off of the banister and used their keyblades to wall climb into the nearby room where the core rested.

"Okay, options here?" Marie asked.

"Just whack the core and we can move on, looks like," Nick quipped.

"Well, then let's get to bashing!" Maylin proclaimed.

Nick and the girls began fiercely attacking the core while occasionally dodging strikes from the Dragon's claws. Occasionally, the core would put up a barrier to protect itself and packs of Nobodies would harass them, but thanks to Final Form and its incredible power, both the Nobodies and the core didn't last much longer than that.

Once the core was disabled, Final Form Nick leaped into the air and used his Advancing Form Ability, Glide, to float upwards, riding the wind that was prevalent at this altitude up to the top of the Dragon Ship, eventually landing in front of the throne where the Armored Controller, basically Future Lily in an immobile knight armor suit, was waiting for him.

"Last chance to back out, Lily," Final Form Nick proclaimed.

The Armored Controller simply swung a massive greatsword straight for Final Form Nick, who easily dodged the attack, juking around it to attack.

"That's what I thought," Final Form Nick sighed, laying into the Armored Controller with multiple spinning strikes before finishing with a Final Arcana, dealing impressive damage in a hurry.

Not one to take her defeat lying down, the Armored Controller conjured a large barrier similar to the one Xemnas had used, throwing Final Form Nick backwards on impact. Final Form Nick quickly righted himself and glided back into the fray, lashing out from multiple directions before ending with a Final Strike that caused the Armored Controller to seize up, a large keyhole appearing on its chest.

Final Form Nick raised Oathkeeper and fired a beam of light into that keyhole, causing light to explode outwards and envelop everything in sight.

When he could see again, Final Form Nick was back on the Altar of Naught with Elyon and W.I.T.C.H., and Future Lily was down on her knees, clutching her chest as if trying to hold in a fatal wound. Kingdom Hearts had vanished completely.

"I... I need..." Future Lily gasped. "I need more rage... I need more... hearts..."

Final Form Nick split apart to allow Nick to address his daughter. "Lily, listen to me," Nick proclaimed. "There's more to a heart than just anger and hatred. You've forgotten how to feel those feelings because of the trauma you've suffered. The heart is full of all sorts of feelings. Don't you remember?"

Future Lily could only glare up at Nick, giving him a look of contempt as her body began to disappear.

"Unfortunately..." Future Lily gasped. "I _don't_."

And with that, Future Lily vanished completely, leaving absolutely nothing behind.

"And the heroes return victorious!" Irma laughed, high-fiving Nick once everything was calm again. "That must have been one heck of a fight!"

"All things considered, Final Form made everything our _bitch_ ," Maylin cackled.

"Okay, here's the big question," Taranee stated. "What do we do now?"

"Honestly, the only place I want to go right now is _home_ ," Will sighed. "I miss Heatherfield, even if it hasn't actually been that long thanks to the Oracle and his time-compression thing..."

"I'll provide the transportation," Elyon proclaimed, focusing on the power of the Crown of Light to open a portal in the Veil that led back to Heatherfield.

"Ah, home sweet home," Irma giggled. "I've still gotta practice for the next K-SHIP broadcast, after all!"

"Irma, you just got the position last week," Hay Lin laughed as the group began to walk into the portal. "I don't think they're going to put you up to anything more complicated until you get more experience."

"Hey, I'm still the lead broadcaster," Irma stated. "That means I'm head honcho of the mic!"

Nick couldn't help but chuckle at his friends' antics. After all, he'd listened to Irma's first broadcast as the announcer of K-SHIP, Sheffield's radio program, and he honestly liked what he'd heard.

With everyone else on the opposite side of the portal, Nick began to walk forward, only to feel a strange surge of energy nearby.

After looking around for the source of the twinge, Nick decided to book it for the portal, only to have it close on him with his friends none the wiser, leaving him stranded on the Altar of Naught.

"Oh, damn it, that's just great," Nick groaned. "What else could go wrong now?"

A flash of light from far away caught Nick's attention, and he glanced over to the far edge of the world, where the Dragon Ship that he thought they'd destroyed could be seen bursting out of a gigantic green core.

Nick only had time to summon his keyblade as the Dragon Ship flew by, scraping the side of the Altar of Naught with its massive body, causing a powerful earthquake that caused the tower to start collapsing in on itself.

Nick jammed his keyblade into the ground to steady himself, though seemingly to no avail, as his foothold also began to crumble, leaving him to slowly start sliding down the rapidly collapsing floor towards the edge of the tower.

As Nick continued to attempt to keep his footing, he saw something approaching rather swiftly from the west. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a young woman about his age riding a keyblade.

However, Nick quickly realized that he knew this person. "Strelitzia?!"

"Hurry, Nick, grab on!" Strelitzia shouted, extending her hand.

Figuring he didn't have anything to lose, Nick began to run down the sloping floor tiles before leaping outwards just as the tower and most of the upper half of the castle collapsed in on itself. Strelitzia grabbed Nick's hand as he came closer, and this somehow allowed him to start floating in mid-air.

"Where'd you come from, Strelly?" Nick asked.

"I figured you'd want some help," Strelitzia giggled. "I felt the incredible darkness coming from this world and figured you were already fighting..."

"Well, you definitely got _that_ right," Nick teased before looking towards the retreating Dragon Ship. "My daughter's on that thing, and we need to ground it quickly."

"Then just follow my lead," Strelitzia stated, retrieving her Starlight and gliding off after the Dragon Ship with Nick following slightly behind her.

Despite the size of the Dragon Ship, Nick and Strelitzia were able to catch up to the fleeing ship rather quickly.

"All right, Strelly, how are we going to do this?" Nick asked.

"I think we need to start by attacking the engines," Strelitzia answered.

Nick nodded, then extended his Starlight and began firing streams of magic bullets towards the left-most engine, much like his main offensive tactic in Wisdom Form.

Strelitzia did the same thing, occasionally swerving around to avoid more of those pesky Bomb Bells and lasers being fired from the Dragon Ship.

During a break in the shooting, Nick noticed a gaggle of lasers approaching Strelitzia quickly, so he flew over to in front of her and raised his keyblade to create a Reflect-like barrier around them both that absorbed the lasers into his keyblade.

"Not... the desired effect, but I'll work with it," Nick quipped.

After a little more of this relay, the left engine exploded and fell into the dark abyss below them.

The Dragon Ship did a flip in mid-air and swung its tail towards them, causing a cannonade of missiles shaped like the Nobody symbol to come flying towards the two keyblade wielders.

"Yeah, like _that's_ fair!" Nick shouted, dodging and weaving through the missiles while swinging his keyblade to bat away the ones he couldn't dodge. When the barrage ended, Nick and Strelitzia flew over to the right-most engine to continue their assault.

Strelitzia spun her Starlight in her hands like a windmill to deflect another batch of lasers before firing more magic bullets towards the right engine.

Nick raised his barrier to absorb more lasers coming towards him, and when he did, his keyblade began glowing brightly.

Curious as to what he was now able to do, Nick raised his Starlight towards the right engine, surprised to see himself unleash a gargantuan laser beam from the teeth of his keyblade that ripped through the right engine like a hot knife through butter. The sundered engine fell instantly from the Dragon Ship and crashed into the abyss below.

"That's the engines down," Nick quipped. "Now what?"

"I believe we should go after the wings now," Strelitzia answered.

"Roger that," Nick proclaimed as they flew higher above the Dragon Ship, towards the wings that were all that kept the machine aloft.

Before Nick could start attacking, though, strange ethereal snowflakes appeared and began firing beams of light towards them, forcing them to weave around to avoid them. Nick had tried to absorb them with his barrier, only to get blasted by the beam anyways, realizing that these ones could only be avoided.

When the snowflakes stopped firing on them, Strelitzia tossed her Starlight in a Strike Raid for the left wing, only for ethereal Starlights to come flying out of the genuine article upon impact, exploding outwards and doing more damage to the wing.

"Nice one, Strelly!" Nick proclaimed, causing Strelitzia to blush for a split second before renewing her focus on the battle ahead of them.

As the Dragon Ship spun around in an attempt to knock them out of the sky with its wings, Nick blasted them back with a Thunder spell, stopping the Dragon Ship in its place and allowing Strelitzia to absorb more lasers being fired at her, then fire her own gigantic beam that shredded both of the Dragon Ship's wings completely off their stumps.

Even so, the Dragon Ship still floated there, and was even charging straight for them.

"H-How is this thing still flying?!" Nick shouted.

"I think we just need to destroy the core again," Strelitzia stated. "We're gonna need to attack it at the same time, though."

"I'm ready if you are," Nick quipped.

Nick and Strelitzia flew towards the Dragon Ship, ascending rapidly to avoid a swing from its head and descending to approach the beast's vulnerable core.

"Let's finish this, Nick!" Strelitzia shouted.

"You know it!" Nick exclaimed.

The two wielders touched their keyblades to each other's, light beginning to surround them.

" _Ancient Light!"_ Nick and Strelitzia exclaimed, summoning five large pillars of light around them that rapidly damaged the core, followed by surrounding themselves with a spherical field of red light. Dozens of ethereal keyblades danced around within the sphere before exploding outwards to finally destroy the Dragon Ship's core and send the ship itself crashing down to the dark city far below them.

"Did... did we do it?" Nick asked.

To answer that question, the Dragon Ship roared so loud that it echoed through the entirety of the Iridescent Abyss. Smoke and light began to swirl around the Dragon Ship, eventually billowing out to surround Nick and Strelitzia as well.

When they could see again, they were in a massive abyss that resembled a red and blue-tinted black hole, with the Dragon Ship at the very center of the black hole, almost like a machine attached to its life support. The Dragon Ship had also gained two large battering ram-style objects in place of its hands.

Nick silently pointed to the head of the Dragon Ship, and he and Strelitzia flew down to the head, inside of which the Armored Controller was waiting for them again.

"All right, Lily, you seriously want another?" Nick taunted, summoning his Starlight to his hands. "Because this did _not_ go well for you the last time you tried this."

The Armored Controller simply summoned its greatsword and swung it in a cutting arc, forcing Nick and Strelitzia to jump back before going on the offensive, laying into the Armored Controller with old-fashioned keyblade combos.

At one point, they tried using magic spells on the Armored Controller, only for it to take very little damage.

"I guess good ol' whacking it is the way to go here," Nick quipped.

All in all, the second round with the Armored Controller seemed to go smoothly, despite Nick's inability to use Final Form.

However, after a few minutes, the Armored Controller slammed the pommel of its sword into the ground, and this unleashed a powerful pulse wave that blasted both Nick and Strelitzia out of the Dragon Ship and sent them flying back towards the edge of the abyss.

"Holy crap, Strelly, are you okay?!" Nick shouted as they began to glide back towards the Dragon Ship.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Strelitzia admitted.

As they approached, the Dragon Ship placed its battering rams together, forming a shield from them that blocked any passage to the throne in its head.

"Okay, that's just mean," Nick groaned. "Any ideas on how to break this thing, Strelly?"

Strelitzia glanced around at the myriad buildings that had been summoned by the Dragon Ship and flung towards them.

"I think I've got something," Strelitzia stated. "Get me to one of the stationary ones."

Nick nodded and began to glide to the west towards a building that was just floating in the abyss, Strelitzia following him until they reached it, after which she landed on the "side" of the building.

"Now!" Strelitzia exclaimed.

Nick spun around and swung his Starlight like a baseball bat into the base of the building, sending it flying towards the Dragon Ship at incredible speeds. The building smashed into the Dragon Ship's shield like a battering ram, briefly separating its shield arms, only for it to quickly reform its shield.

Strelitzia solved that by slashing Starlight through the building she had rode on, cleaving it into fragments that rained down onto the shield and doing enough damage to sever the shield pieces from the Dragon Ship's arms.

Their way open, Nick and Strelitzia flew back to the head of the Dragon Ship, dodging more snowflake lasers as they approached.

When they landed in the throne again, the Armored Controller was once again swinging its sword to create cutting waves of wind and blasts of darkness.

Nick blocked a wind wave to give Strelitzia enough time to move in and start attacking the Armored Controller, ending with a combo finisher that resembled a smaller and more localized version of the Ancient Light attack they'd used before, with Strelitzia swinging her keyblade upwards to create an explosion of dark red light around her with ethereal keyblades dancing around the sphere.

Nick leapfrogged over Strelitzia to continue the attack, landing three hits on the Armored Controller before finishing with a Ripple Drive that created a large crack on its chestplate.

Nick and Strelitzia nodded to each other, rushing forward before the Armored Controller could retaliate and jamming both of their keyblades into the crack in its armor.

Light began to billow from the crack as the Armored Controller bellowed in agony, eventually even swallowing up Nick and Strelitzia.

When they could see again, the Armored Controller had collapsed into pieces, and Future Lily was flying away.

"H-Hey, get back here!" Nick shouted.

"Oh, did I forget to mention something?" Future Lily cackled. "I assume you didn't even realize that Kingdom Hearts had disappeared, right?"

It took Nick a couple seconds to realize what Future Lily was talking about, but when he did, his expression turned dark.

"You _didn't_ ," Nick growled.

"That's right, fool, I absorbed it!" Future Lily laughed. "Now I have the power to break through the dimensions and reshape this world!"

Future Lily summoned No Name and raised it to the dark sky, channeling the power she'd absorbed.

"So sorry, _father_ , but this is where your story _ends_!" Future Lily proclaimed, her entire body glowing with darkness.

Nick just stood there, at a loss for what to do.

"Nick, I think I've got an idea," Strelitzia stated, rushing over to where Nick was standing.

"Whatever it is, Strelly, we'd better make it fast," Nick replied.

"She traveled through time to get here, right?" Strelitzia asked. "Because of that, her body probably also acts as a portal, and we can use that to trap her and finish her off before she can claim the full power of Kingdom Hearts."

"Ooooookay, so how do we do _that_?" Nick asked.

"Just follow my lead," Strelitzia stated, raising Starlight towards Future Lily. Nick followed suit, and light began to radiate around their keyblades before firing a much larger than normal beam towards Future Lily, striking her in the chest and causing her to freeze up, the darkness enveloping her disappearing.

Most of Future Lily's body was enveloped by a strange deep red sphere with spikes jutting out from it.

"Now, Nick! Jump into that portal!" Strelitzia exclaimed. "I'm right behind you!"

Nick took his chance and flew towards Future Lily with Strelitzia right on his tail, eventually flying into the strange sphere and being momentarily blinded.

When they could see again (Nick noted that this was becoming a pattern), what he saw surprised him.

Apparently, they were in Heatherfield.

Only, this Heatherfield resembled the future version of itself that his own future daughter had traveled back from in his dimension.

"All right, color me confused," Nick quipped. "Exactly _which_ Heatherfield _is_ this?"

"I think it's Lily's," Strelitzia answered, standing right behind Nick. " _This_ Lily's, anyway. This must have been what it looked like before the Heartless destroyed it."

"You think she's here?" Nick wondered.

Strelitzia pointed to just ahead, towards a house Nick recognized as the one his future self called home alongside the future versions of Cornelia, Lily, and Blake.

And Future Lily was standing right in front of it, staring wistfully at the house and clutching a picture in her left hand.

Nick tentatively took a few steps closer until he could see the picture clearly. It was of him, Cornelia, Lily and Blake, standing in front of their house and striking happy poses.

"Your family?" Nick asked.

"This picture is all I have left," Future Lily admitted, tucking the picture into the pocket of her cloak. "It's all that remains of the life I once knew."

"Wait, shouldn't your world be back to normal now?" Nick asked. Future Lily didn't respond. "Sora told us that once he beat Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, all of the worlds that were taken or destroyed by the Heartless were restored, just like ours when we beat Izanami-no-Mikoto."

Future Lily just shook her head. "Even if it did come back, what makes you think _I_ can?"

"Excuse me?" Strelitzia quipped.

"I've done so many horrible things," Future Lily stated. "I've destroyed, I've pillaged, for god's sake, I've even _killed_ , all because I couldn't let go of my pain. Blake was right. All I'm doing is lashing out at everything else because I'm just a frightened child in so much agony."

"Then why don't you just let go of that pain?" Nick asked. "I know it's probably hard, but that should be all the reason you need."

Future Lily locked eyes with her other-dimensional father, their gazes meeting, and Nick could see uncountable sadness in her eyes.

"There's no way I can be forgiven, dad, and you _know_ it," Future Lily sighed. "Not after everything I've done."

"Lily, listen. I technically _am_ your father, you know," Nick continued. "And wasn't I the one who coined our family phrase, 'everyone deserves a second chance'?"

"Despite that, even if you all forgive me for all the horrible deeds I've done, there's no way I can forgive _myself_ ," Future Lily proclaimed. "I appreciate the effort, dad, but I'm too far gone to be saved."

"Is this truly what you want, Lily?" Strelitzia asked. "Do you really want to be consumed by your pain? To let your darkest thoughts define who you are?"

"That's what this world wanted me to be, apparently, so then let me be dark," Future Lily responded. "I'm beyond redemption, anyway."

Future Lily again met her father's gaze, summoning No Name and slowly bringing it into a fighting stance. "And I'm going to assume that, since I'm not going to change, you're gonna have to stop me, dad?"

"That's the idea, yes," Nick replied, summoning Starlight to his hands.

"Then... don't expect me to hold back," Future Lily proclaimed.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Nick responded.

Strelitzia brought her own Starlight into a fighting stance as well, ready for what would surely be the final battle.

"Oh, did I forget to show you this?" Future Lily asked, her free hand reaching for her shoulder.

Nick wondered how he hadn't noticed it before, but now he saw a small metal pauldron on Future Lily's shoulder.

Exactly like the ones Terra, Ventus, and Aqua used to don their Keyblade Armor.

"Xehanort gave me... shall we say, a parting gift," Future Lily proclaimed, slamming her palm onto the pauldron and surrounding her body with flashes of both darkness and light.

When the flashes cleared, Future Lily had donned a set of Keyblade Armor. The armor itself was adorned with several Heartless, Nobody, and Unversed emblems; a Heartless symbol on the piece of armor covering Future Lily's torso, two Nobody symbols protrude from her greaves, and two Unversed symbols covering her boots. Future Lily's crown and shoulder pad were colored gold, while the rest of her armor was light blue and silver in coloration. Future Lily also wore two silver belts on her waist, and instead of a spiked pauldron, white feathers covered its right shoulder. Several cords crisscrossed in front of Future Lily's torso, each connecting a pair of baggy sleeves to the massive, oblong pieces of armor Future Lily wore on each arm. Her armor's faceplate was beak-like in structure, and she wore clawed gauntlets and black pants underneath her armor.

Future Lily hefted No Name into a fighting stance. "Now, father, come at me, and sink into _everlasting darkness_!" Future Lily shouted in a slightly distorted voice.

Future Lily had no idea that her parents had just stepped out of their houses, having seen the flashes from her summoning her Keyblade Armor, nor did she notice their shocked faces at seeing their daughter don her armor.

Nick charged forward to meet Future Lily's challenge, their keyblades clashing over and over again. Strelitzia decided to hang back and act as support if Nick needed it. She could sense the personal nature of this fight.

Nick ducked underneath a wave of darkness flung from No Name and rushed in to blast Future Lily with a point-blank Thunder spell.

To his surprise, it seemed to do barely any damage, giving Future Lily the chance to attack, transforming No Name into a pair of gauntlets over her armor's own to strike Nick with a four-hit punch combo followed by an uppercut that trailed dark energy behind it.

Not finished yet, Future Lily thrust her free hand downwards, causing multiple ethereal keyblades to appear and ravage Nick's body from all sides.

Nick quickly righted himself in time to dash back down to the platform and cast Cura to heal his wounds before re-engaging Future Lily, slashing at her with jumping strikes before driving her backwards with a Hurricane Period.

The two opponents sized each other up for a second before clashing once again, the echoes of their keyblades meeting reverberating through the city.

After about six clashes, Future Lily raised No Name to block one of Nick's overhead strikes, then quickly dashed behind him, transforming No Name into sharp greaves for her feet, and started kicking him in the back multiple times.

Before she could deliver a final kick, however, Strelitzia rushed in and blasted Future Lily away with an Ancient Light, allowing Nick to get his bearings.

Future Lily jumped back before cloaking herself in darkness and dashing forward twice, trailing darkness as she did so. Nick blocked the first dash, then rolled away from the second one, timing his leap until the darkness faded before leaping towards Future Lily and lunging forward with a Sonic Blade attack to catch her off guard.

When she recovered, Future Lily again used her punch combo that Nick easily blocked, only to slam her fist down when Nick dropped his guard and create a dark explosion around her that sent Nick stumbling back.

"Okay, note to self, watch the fists," Nick quipped before charging back into the fray.

Future Lily attempted her kick combo, but Nick was ready this time, parrying each kick with Starlight before swiping upwards to stumble her, then ravaging the armored warrior with Ars Arcanum.

Future Lily leaped away from the final hit, firing dark projectiles from her fist in a fan-shaped motion, forcing Nick and Strelitzia to stay on the move. When the volley ended, Future Lily swung No Name to create a wave of darkness that crashed into the ground to separate the two of them.

"Can you spare... a heart?" Future Lily proclaimed.

"W-what do you mean by..."

Nick never got the chance to finish, as Future Lily had transformed No Name into a pincer claw and grabbed Nick by the neck. After choking him for a couple seconds, she threw him into the air, transformed her keyblade back to normal, and shot a stream of lightning to keep Nick in the air.

Strelitzia quickly noticed that the longer Nick was being held in the air, the more of his energy she could feel draining away.

 _Wait, how can I_ _ **feel**_ _his..._ Strelitzia thought, only to blush as she realized the implications. _I guess we're more connected than I thought._

Shaking off that feeling for the moment, Strelitzia raised Starlight and charged towards Future Lily in the hopes of freeing Nick.

Future Lily wasn't about to let that happen, however, and used her free hand to summon a phantasmal image of herself to attack Strelitzia.

Strelitzia simply lunged forward, slashing Starlight through the phantasm to dissipate it, before leaping up to Future Lily and striking at her right hand, knocking No Name away and freeing Nick from the electric field.

Future Lily quickly called her keyblade back and clashed with Strelitzia a couple times until Strelitzia ducked under a strike and blasted Future Lily into the air with an Ancient Light.

"I got you, Nick," Strelitzia stated, rushing over to Nick and raising Starlight above him. _"Healing Light!"_

A sphere of light surrounded Nick, fully healing his wounds and replenishing his energy.

"Thanks, Strelly," Nick stated.

"Any time," Strelitzia giggled.

Future Lily suddenly rocketed forward, shifting No Name into a strange gun-like contraption and firing four light purple bursts of energy towards Nick and Strelitzia, forcing them to scatter as Future Lily continued to fire at them.

Before Nick could slip an attack in, Future Lily transformed No Name into a pair of wings attached to her back and flew into the air, safely out of Nick's range.

"Hey, get back down here!" Nick growled.

Future Lily obliged by dropping down like a rock and slamming her fist into the ground to create a large dark shockwave that Nick and Strelitzia barely avoided by leaping into the air.

"Well, I guess I had that coming," Nick admitted.

Future Lily rushed Nick before the shockwave had even dissipated, swinging No Name overhead, only for Nick to block it.

"Lily!" Future Cornelia exclaimed, causing Future Lily to stop in her tracks and look back towards her mother.

"M-M..." Future Lily gasped, sounding like she was on the verge of bursting into tears. "Mama?"

Nick saw his opportunity and rushed forward while Future Lily was distracted, delivering the final blow by way of a Zantetsuken straight through Future Lily's body.

Everything was still for a few seconds until Future Lily dropped to her knees, her Keyblade Armor shimmering with darkness before exploding off of her, the fragments raining down on the ground before dissipating.

"I... I'm not done yet, _dad_..." Future Lily groaned, trying to pick herself up but failing miserably, instead opting to balance herself on No Name. "After all... I got my stubborn nature from _you_..."

Nick prepared himself for whatever Future Lily was going to pull out of her proverbial hat.

He definitely didn't expect No Name to yank itself out of Future Lily's hands, causing her to collapse to the ground.

The demonic keyblade floated forward until it rested in the grasp of a seemingly old man.

Despite having never seen him personally before this, Nick had no trouble recognizing him due to the tales Sora had relayed to him. "Xehanort!" Nick growled.

"Ah, an admirable attempt, my dear," Xehanort proclaimed. His form appeared wavy and fluttery, almost transparent, leaving Nick to believe that Xehanort wasn't actually here in this... _whatever_ this place was, most likely having set up a "pre-recorded message", in Nick's own words.

"However, it seems our game must end," Xehanort continued. "You were quite the puppet on my string, but like all puppets, their strings must eventually be cut. I cannot do anything personally, due to being unable to traverse dimensions, but I can leave you with another parting gift, as it were."

Xehanort glanced at Nick and grinned wickedly, the mere _sight_ of the smile unnerving Nick in ways he didn't even know he could be unnerved. "And don't you worry, boy. Once I acquire the χ-blade, not even your precious barriers will save you from me."

The image of Xehanort vanished just as No Name flew around for a couple seconds before plunging its teeth straight into Future Lily's chest, causing her body to become enveloped in darkness to the point where Nick couldn't make out anything of her besides her now completely white eyes on a pitch-black body.

"W-what?!" Future Lily gasped, clutching at the spot where No Name had struck her. "This... this can't be... the power... the power of darkness _can't possibly..._ "

Future Lily collapsed to her knees again as No Name stabbed her in the chest again, this time actually absorbing itself into her body.

Unable to do anything but scream, Future Lily did just that, screaming in unbridled agony and disbelief as her body tore itself apart from the force of the darkness that was overwhelming her.

The darkness flowed into the air before reconverging at the edge of the street and forming into a grotesque and bizarre hybrid of Future Lily and the No Name.

In this form, Future Lily had become a giant figure, at least fifteen times her original size. She kept many aspects of her usual appearance, mostly the blonde hair with brown tips and slender body. However, her face was now marred by sharp, flower-like purple patterns, and her eyes had shifted to a disturbing shade of red and black. She was also wearing a large, spiky choker that resembled the No Name. Several snake-like faces were now growing out of the lower half of her body, and four large tentacles had sprouted from her back, each one ending in a facsimile of the No Name. Future Lily also had goat-like horns growing from each side of her head.

"What the _hell_?!" Nick shouted, switching his keyblade to the Ultima Weapon.

"What happened?!" Future Nick exclaimed. "What did that man just do to our daughter?!"

"You two might want to stay back!" Nick proclaimed as the Queen of Demise floated closer, opening her mouth and singing out a strange, dischordant melody.

This melody created a large glyph on the ground underneath them. Nick prepared himself for the worst, only for the glyph to actually expand and start floating upwards until it was overlooking Heatherfield from deep in the clouds.

The Queen of Demise began floating at the edge of the glyph platform, almost as if she was daring Nick and Strelitzia to come closer.

"Guess we have to take the bait if we wanna finish this," Nick proclaimed, readying the Ultima Weapon. "You ready to end this, Strelly?"

"As I'll ever be, Nick," Strelitzia responded, readying Starlight. "I'm with you to the very end!"

The sky around them suddenly turned dark and stormy, and rain began to fall from the clouds, with lightning occasionally lancing through the skies.

The Queen of Demise again sang that strange melody, this time causing Unversed to spawn on both sides of the platform, though they seemed to be connected to the Queen of Demise by long, flowing tendrils of darkness.

"I think we need to defeat those Unversed," Strelitzia answered. "Maybe it'll draw her closer to the platform so we can attack her directly."

"Might as well try something," Nick quipped, rushing over to attack the Cursed Coach on the left side while Strelitzia went to take out the Mad Treant on the right side.

Though they were "boss-level" Unversed (in Maylin's words), the two monsters were rather easily dispatched. Nick theorized that maybe they were weaker due to whatever Xehanort had done to make Future Lily like this.

Once the two Unversed were destroyed, the Queen of Demise floated downward, bringing her face to level with the platform, and Nick saw his opportunity, charging in to attack her face, mostly against the purple patterns, ending in a Hurricane Period that seemed to push the Queen of Demise back slightly, even if she didn't flinch from the strikes.

Thankfully, it seemed like the Queen of Demise moved very slowly with her gigantic form, allowing Nick to get up to three full combos in before she floated away from the platform, this time opening her eyes slightly before causing chains of darkness to fall from the sky and strike the platform at random points, forcing Nick and Strelitzia to stay on the move.

"Hmmm... I wonder..." Nick thought, raising the Ultima Weapon and casting Magnega at the edge of the platform. Confirming Nick's thoughts, the Magnega spell pulled the Queen of Demise closer, forcing her to float down to the platform level.

Nick rushed forward to attack, only for the Queen of Demise's keyblade tentacles to lash out and swipe across the platform, forcing Nick to parry the strikes before moving closer. Like before, Nick was able to get in at least three full combos, making sure to use his strongest attacks, as he didn't want the battle to drag on for too long.

When his third combo was finished, the Queen of Demise floated away again, only to summon the Iron Imprisoner (in its fully sealed form) and the Trinity Armor to the field.

"Okay, this is seriously getting us nowhere," Nick growled as he went to attack the Trinity Armor. "We really need to find a way to deal a finishing blow to this thing!"

"Let's just keep attacking her until we got somewhere," Strelitzia replied, blasting the Iron Imprisoner backwards with an Ancient Light. "She can't keep this up forever."

The Queen of Demise continued its attempts to impede its attackers by slamming all four of its keyblade tentacles into the platform at once, causing a shockwave of darkness to explode outwards across the entire platform. Nick cast Reflega to defend himself against it, while Strelitzia leaped over the shockwave before slashing down to destroy the Iron Imprisoner. Nick shattered his barrier to send back all the damage it had absorbed, enough to destroy the Trinity Armor.

This once again forced the Queen of Demise to lower herself down to the platform, and Nick wasted no time in leaping to attack her face.

Before Nick could finish his combo, though, the Queen of Demise let out a short yell that was so strong, it pushed him back to the center of the platform.

"Well, nuts," Nick groaned.

The Queen of Demise began to float away from the platform, only to this time float higher up into the sky. Her eyes fully opened, revealing strange symbols in her blood-red eyes.

"Oh, that can't be good," Nick quipped.

Sure enough, thousands of ethereal copies of the No Name surrounded the platform, all of them aimed for Nick and Strelitzia.

Strelitzia knew what had to be done, and positioned herself so she and Nick were standing back to back.

As soon as a group of the ethereal No Names came for them, both keyblade wielders swung their own keyblades to dissipate them, maneuvering around each other to deflect the projectiles as they rocketed towards them.

Nick and Strelitzia continued this relay for a while, ducking and weaving around to destroy each No Name as it came for them.

After about thirty seconds, the barrage had finally stopped.

"Wait, where did she go?!" Nick exclaimed.

That question was answered when the Queen of Demise whipped all four of its tentacles out to ensnare Nick. Dark electricity lanced along the tentacles to electrocute Nick without end, and this got Strelitzia moving, avoiding more chains of darkness slamming into the platform to leap up to Nick's position and slash at the tentacles holding them, actually severing the facsimile No Names off of them and freeing Nick, who dropped down to the platform.

Strelitzia landed a few seconds later, and nodded to Nick, who got the message easily. Nick raised the Ultima Weapon towards the Queen of Demise with Strelitzia placing her hand over Nick's to add her power as well.

Light shined around the Ultima Weapon's teeth, creating a circle of bright light around it that eventually shrank into the teeth and fired a massive beam that thundered through the stormy sky and struck the Queen of Demise in her forehead, causing her to seize up and begin bellowing in pain.

The Queen of Demise's body began to tremble, sparkles of light and darkness falling from her body as it began to dissolve, eventually evaporating in a swirl of black and white feathers and leaving only Future Lily behind.

The glyph platform slowly descended to the ground before vanishing, and Nick stepped forward just as quickly to catch Future Lily's body. Nick definitely didn't miss the fact that her body seemed to be getting slightly transparent, the clear sign that she was finished.

"That... that was fun..." Future Lily sighed, her voice sounding much more like her other self now. "I guess... you really _are_ my father, in a way..."

Nick looked surprised when he saw that Future Lily had actually started crying, despite everything.

"You could always see the light in the darkness," Future Lily admitted. "And I guess... that passed on to me as well. How silly... I fell to darkness when I couldn't see that light anymore, the light you cast on my life..."

Nick gasped in shock. That statement hit far too close to home, as it was close to something Marie had said when he'd been forced to kill her.

 _That's just how I've always been, I guess. I could always see the light in the darkness. How ironic that I fell to the darkness when I stopped being able to see it..._

It was that thought that seemingly broke Nick, and he pulled Future Lily into his arms, trying not to cry himself.

Naturally, Future Lily was shocked to see that Nick was crying for her. She wasn't even his real daughter, the one that had finally returned to her own timeline. She had caused so much suffering and pain because she was unable to let go of her own.

"Just... please let go, Lily," Nick sobbed. "You don't have to be like this."

"But..."

"No buts," Nick responded. "I don't care what happened to you, you're still my daughter, even if I'm not the same father you knew. You shouldn't worry about what destiny wants you to do, or what fate has in store for you. You are who you choose to be."

Future Lily suddenly remembered that her father had said those exact words to her all the time, having heard them in a very old movie.

"I am... who I choose to be..." Future Lily gasped.

"Precisely," Nick replied.

Future Lily looked up at Nick, tears streaming from her eyes, and for a few seconds, to him, she looked exactly like his own Lily.

 **("Passion ~after the battle~" by Utada Hikaru plays)**

"Then... can I be your daughter? For just a little longer?" Future Lily asked.

"Whatever you want, my darling," Nick proclaimed, holding his composure as best he could. He hadn't cried this much since Marie's death, as well as her eventual rebirth, and the tears were threatening to spill out any second.

Despite her wounds, Future Lily yawned as if she was merely tired. "I'm... gonna take a nap now, if that's okay?" Future Lily stated.

"I'll wake you up when dinner's ready, okay?" Nick replied.

"Okay, that sounds good..." Future Lily giggled, leaning into Nick's embrace even as her body began to fade away. "Good night, papa..."

Nick clutched Future Lily tighter, unwilling to let go yet. "Sweet dreams, Lily."

Nick looked down, only to see nothing in his arms. She was gone. That realization broke him, and he finally allowed himself to cry for Future Lily, having felt the pain she'd been carrying for so long.

Strelitzia walked over and hugged Nick tightly. "It's okay, Nick. Just let it all out."

Even as Nick continued to cry, the world around them began to distort and wobble, everything around them seemingly being sucked into a void.

"W-what's happening?" Nick asked.

"We're going home," Strelitzia answered. "Remember, this is just a memory of her world that we came to."

Nick returned Strelitzia's embrace as the world shifted, bringing the two of them back to their own Heatherfield, specifically to Nick's room in his house.

"Are you going to be okay, Nick?" Strelitzia asked.

"I just... I feel like I failed in my duty as a father, even if she's not technically my real daughter," Nick stated. "Why do I only feel like this _now_ , after she's gone, after all the trouble she gave us?"

"Hey, other dimension or not, she was still your daughter," Strelitzia replied. "It always hurts when we lose someone we love, regardless of what they've done."

"I really wish she could have turned out like my Lily," Nick admitted. "She's such a sweetheart, and I could never imagine someone like _her_ falling to the darkness..."

"With you around, she won't," Strelitzia stated. "I can promise you that."

Nick couldn't help but smile, despite his grief. "Thanks, Strelly..."

All of a sudden, the door to Nick's room opened to reveal his parents, obviously surprised that he was here.

"Oh, Nick, are you all right?" Rhea asked, quickly noticing Nick's tears.

"Yeah, you look like you lost someone you loved," Jeff responded.

Nick just nodded, reaching up to dry his tears before standing up. "To be honest, I kinda did," Nick admitted. "I was just crying for her. She had no one else that would, after all."

As they all walked downstairs, Nick recounted everything that had happened since their last trip to Heatherfield, while also letting them know that this adventure was most likely over and he'd be staying in Heatherfield for the foreseeable future. He decided to leave out the Dark Mother for the moment, knowing that she wasn't strong enough to break out of her prison yet and knowing that he'd be ready when she did.

"That's good to hear," Rhea stated. "I know it must be hard on you, having to bear this kind of burden..."

"Well, mom, it's like I said, if I couldn't bear it, I wouldn't be doing it," Nick replied. "And I have my friends to support me."

"Speaking of friends, I think they're banging on our door," Jeff stated, pointing towards the front door of the Kelly house, where W.I.T.C.H., Elyon (in her normal clothes), Maylin, Haruka, and Marie could be seen crowding outside.

 **("Shirushi" by LiSA plays)**

Nick was about to reach for the door to let everyone in, only for Maylin to finally lose her patience and slam the door open with a flying kick, then leap forward and glomp Nick, sending them both crashing to the ground as the others made their way inside.

"I tried to stop her," Haruka giggled.

"Holy _crap_ , Nick, you really need to stop disappearing on us!" Maylin exclaimed. "We thought someone had kidnapped you!"

"Well, she kinda did," Nick answered, picking himself up. "But the good news is, the worlds are safe now."

"Oh, you took her out?" Irma proclaimed. "I guess I wouldn't expect anything less from our resident Keyblade Master, huh?"

"Irma, didn't I tell you to stop treating me like we have the authority to lord over you just because we're Keyblade Masters now?" Nick groaned. "That makes me sound like that snooty French jerk in my science class!"

That caused everyone to have a good laugh.

"Honestly, I'm just glad you're okay, Nick," Maylin stated, leaning over to kiss Nick on the cheek. "Try not to disappear on us again for a while, okay?"

"I'll try, Maylin," Nick replied.

Maylin let go of Nick, only to catch Rhea and Jeff staring at her with an odd expression. It only took a couple seconds for Maylin to put the pieces together, and she blushed like mad when she did.

"Um... I-I can explain!" Maylin shouted.

"Let me, Maylin," Cornelia stated.

And so, as Cornelia explained what had caused Maylin to fall in love with Nick, making sure to say multiple times that she was okay with it (and in fact had been the one to push Maylin to confess), Nick looked out the window and towards the skies.

 _I hope you're doing okay, Lily,_ Nick thought. _Both of you._

Nick imagined that Future Lily was smiling at him from heaven, noting that he felt the same way about Marie at the end of his first adventure.

 _I guess some things will never change,_ Nick thought, instinctively summoning the Kingdom Key so he could stare at his reflection. _As long as the keyblade stays with me, I'll have to keep on fighting._

Nick looked back at his friends, especially Maylin and Haruka.

 _But... I think I'm okay with that. After all, I'm a fighter by nature. And besides, without the keyblade, I would have never met two of the greatest friends I'll ever have the pleasure of knowing._

Marie walked up to Nick and kissed him on the cheek, knowing what he was probably thinking about.

 _Some say the keyblade brings about great light. Some say it brings terrible darkness. I honestly don't believe that. I believe that the wielder is the one who's important to what the keyblade brings to the world. It's like I said to Lily, "you are who you choose to be". I've never believed in letting destiny string me along. I prefer to take my destiny into my own hands and shape it into the future I desire. I think it's the main reason why, no matter what's happened to me, no matter the myriad excuses I've been given to let myself fall into the darkness, I've never given up hope._

Nick and Marie reached out to hold hands as they watched Maylin's blush rise thanks to Haruka teasing her about her crush on Nick, right in front of his parents.

 _And as long as I wield the keyblade, I'll do my best to make sure no one falls to the darkness while I have the power or opportunity to prevent it. After all..._

Nick closed his eyes and reminisced on his journey.

 _...that's what a hero is supposed to do, right?_

* * *

 **("Shiny Ray" by Yurika plays)**

Ruby paused as she considered what to write next. She still wasn't sure what Yang would think of just leaving like she did, after all.

Weiss sat down next to her, handing Ruby a cup of coffee much like she had during their Beacon days.

After a few more seconds of thought, Ruby decided to at least assure Yang that she was safe and sound, adding that Nick and his friends had kept them safe during most of their recent battles.

Weiss leaned over and kissed Ruby on the cheek, causing the young reaper to blush, completely missing the silly grin Qrow was giving them, despite being seemingly asleep.

* * *

Neptune continued to pace around the main lobby of Planeptune's Basilicom, still bored out of her mind. Where _was_ she, anyway?

A loud knock on the door at the opposite end of the room caught Neptune's attention, and she knew immediately who it was.

Practically teleporting to the door, Neptune threw it open, happy to see exactly who she was expecting.

Planeptune's former CPU, Uzume Tennouboshi.

Neptune took Uzume's hand and dragged Uzume inside despite Nepgear insisting she not be so rough. Uzume simply laughed it off, as she knew how Neptune could be.

From far away, Histoire watched the two CPUs and smiled, feeling nostalgic to see Uzume again.

* * *

Yuuki flew through the air alongside Asuna and the rest of the Sleeping Knights, excited about their new adventure.

As they landed near the entrance to the Labyrinth, Yuuki couldn't help but glance at her hand, remembering the time when she'd held Nick's keyblade without it auto-zapping back to him.

Even when Asuna asked her if everything was all right, Yuuki simply nodded.

They both turned back to the labyrinth entrance, ready to clear yet another floor.

Yuuki swung her sword hand a few times, imagining she was swinging a keyblade.

* * *

As the Overwatch helicopter continued to fly over the snowdrifts of Antarctica, Mei couldn't help but marvel at the aurora borealis that permeated the nighttime sky.

Tracer decided to tease Mei about the aurora reminding her of someone, but Mei seemed to take it in stride.

She realized that, to her at least, that reminded her perfectly of Nick and his friends.

* * *

Tatsumaki zapped through the city like lightning, still searching for the monster that had interrupted her free time with Fubuki so she could rip it apart.

However, as soon as she reached the point in the city where the monster had been sighted, all she saw was the remains of the monsters falling around a certain "caped baldy".

Despite wanting to rage at Saitama beating her to the monster yet again, Tatsumaki actually made herself calm down, not wanting to fly off the handle now of all times after she'd made such an attempt to reign her arrogance in.

Noting that Nick would be proud of her for showing restraint, Tatsumaki turned around and flew back towards the Hero Association headquarters to report the monster's destruction.

* * *

Chrom turned around when Lissa started shouting for his attention, and upon reaching her position, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

It was Robin.

Chrom reached out to help Robin up, noting the déjà vu that came to him, and immediately studied Robin's hand.

The Mark of Grima that had once been there was gone, signifying that Robin was free from Grima's clutches.

Lissa couldn't help but smile at the happy reunion, even though she promised herself she wouldn't cry. After all, she wasn't delicate.

* * *

Hayate raised her staff to cast an ice spell towards the target that Nanoha and Fate had set up for her. Their practice session was going pretty well, after all.

Despite Nanoha and Fate especially being worried about her pushing herself too hard, Hayate had insisted, saying she wanted Axel to be proud of her for going so far.

Attacking the training dummy with a fire spell that reminded her a lot of Axel, Hayate allowed a tear to fall as she thought of her friend.

* * *

Kat continued to walk down the streets of Auldnoir, still riding off the excitement of her latest victory over the Nevi.

As she reached her manhole, her jubilation was cut short when she saw a crow flying through the air.

Knowing that meant Raven was most likely nearby, Kat began to chase the crow down, even shifting through the air to follow it.

Kat was still smarting about her earlier loss to Raven, and was now looking to return the favor.

* * *

Flandre swiped her claws through the air, replicating a move Nick liked to do with his keyblade as Remilia instructed her.

Remilia had said it wouldn't be much longer before Flandre could accompany her to investigate an incident, and that her training was progressing very well.

Despite soaking up the praise from her big sister, Flandre seemed unaware of Remilia basically teleporting behind her.

Or so Remilia thought, as Flandre spun around and double-slashed to knock Remilia away.

Flandre knew Nick liked those kind of counter-attacks, of course.

* * *

Cure Lovely glanced up at the nighttime sky. The restoration effort was progressing rapidly, and hopefully it wouldn't be much longer before the Blue Sky Kingdom was fully restored to its former glory.

Just then, Cure Princess started running towards her, flailing her arms and indicating there was something they both needed to see.

Before Cure Lovely could ask what, Cure Princess pointed excitedly to the sky, where four streaks of light (one pink, one blue, one yellow, and one purple) could be seen soaring through the sky.

Cure Lovely couldn't help but smile, as she now understood that somewhere, in some far-off world, a new team of Pretty Cures had been born.

* * *

Strelitzia looked around as she continued her own journey. She always had a feeling that the Foretellers were watching over her from wherever they were now, but now she could actually feel their presence.

After reflexively taking a bow, she imagined the Foretellers standing around her, silently lending their courage to her.

Strelitzia had promised to protect the multiverse in their stead, and that's a promise she intended to keep.

After all, true heroes never broke their promises.

Strelitzia stood up and saluted to the Foretellers, wherever they were now, and took off on Starlight to parts unknown.

* * *

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," was the extent of what Nick could say as he entered the classroom where his new Biology class was being held.

"Not a fan, I bet?" Marie giggled.

"I seriously wanna take out my keyblade and whack the idiot who put me in this stupid class," Nick groaned. "I _know_ what's coming soon, and I am _not_ a fan."

"I kinda thought you'd be de-sensitized to dissection, considering the crap we've seen on our journeys," Marie admitted.

"Yeah, but Heartless and Nobodies don't show you their guts and other disgusting stuff when we smack them down," Nick sighed.

Marie suddenly stiffened up in her spot, and Nick knew what that meant.

"More Heartless?" Nick quipped.

"Just outside the school," Marie responded.

After hastily excusing themselves from the room, Nick and Marie raced to the outer gardens of Sheffield Institute, where a pack of Neoshadows were roaming about, looking for hearts to steal.

"Hey, dark boys!" Nick shouted, drawing the Neoshadows' attention to them.

"You maybe wanna try us?" Marie challenged.

The Neoshadows floated upwards and started spinning through the air towards their opponents. Nick and Marie happily accepted that challenge, summoning their keyblades and charging.

 _As long as the keyblade stays with me, I'll have to keep on fighting. But... I think I'm okay with that._

Nick and Marie lashed out with their keyblades before cutting to black.

 _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart II  
_ _~The End~_


	27. Secret Ending

_Bonds are precious. When you bond with someone, you form an unbreakable connection._

"H-hello?"

 _That connection can carry you through even the harshest of trials._

"Can you... can you hear me?"

 _Even though bonds may break, connections are eternal._

"Please tell me you're okay..."

 _Remember this, and your connections will forge a path for you... to find your way home._

She sighed in irritation. This wasn't getting her anywhere.

"Um... Mallory? I can hear you breathing, so if you would please be so kind as to WAKE THE HELL UP, IT WOULD BE APPRECIATED!"

As expected, Mallory jerked to her feet almost immediately, her head whipping back and forth while she slipped out of her sleepy state.

Mira sighed in relief. She really didn't like raising her voice, but Mallory was still an incredibly heavy sleeper even after all this time.

"There you are," Mira quipped.

"Ack, Mira, what's the big deal waking me up like that?!" Mallory exclaimed, still shaking off the jitters of her long nap. "I was having the most wonderful dream, you know!"

"Well... do you recognize this place?" Mira asked, gesturing towards the city they'd apparently woken up in.

As she tried to see what Mira was so concerned about, memories came flashing into Mallory's mind.

After all, the last thing Mallory had seen before she'd fallen asleep were...

"H-Hold on a second, Mira, something's not right here," Mallory quipped. "Didn't... I mean, aren't you supposed to be... I-I mean, didn't you...?"

"Die?" Mira finished. "Yeah, we all did, remember? I couldn't tell you how we're still alive, though..."

Just to make sure, Mallory flicked her right hand out, and, to her surprise, her Starlight keyblade flashed into her hand. Mira did the same with her own keyblade, confirming Mallory's suspicions.

"Wow, then that settles it," Mallory sighed. "We're alive, Mira."

"Okay, so... where exactly are Justin and Katelyn?" Mira asked. "If we're still alive, maybe they are, too."

"And on that note, maybe we'd better go find them," Mallory groaned. "Lux only _knows_ what kind of trouble Justin's getting himself into right now."

"Yeah," Mira giggled. Justin was always a bit of a hothead, after all.

With their keyblades at the ready, Mira and Mallory made their way out of the alleyway they'd awoken in and set out into the city of Heatherfield.

"This place is amazing," Mira gasped.

"No kidding," Mallory quipped. "But... I thought the world had been destroyed, remember? We were there when Daybreak Town was getting wrecked."

"Maybe this isn't Daybreak Town," Mira cut in.

"But... that could only be possible if..." Mallory started before gasping in surprise and shock as the pieces clicked together in her mind. "You think Izanami-no-Mikoto's been defeated?!"

Mira glanced at her reflection in the shop window they passed, glad to see they hadn't aged at all since that day, despite the incredibly long time that seemed to have passed since the invasion.

"It looks that way," Mira responded. "Who do you think did it? I thought she was unstoppable..."

To Mira's surprise, Mallory broke out into a wide, happy grin. "I'm willing to bet Nick did it somehow. Invi always did say that she thought Nick was special. Maybe that's what she meant by it."

Mallory couldn't help but chuckle at the rising blush on Mira's face that spoke volumes about her adoration and affections for Nick, even though she had no clue that Nick may have been interested in that Strelitzia girl from Vulpes.

"I-If anyone could have done something as amazing as that, Nick definitely would be the top contender," Mira giggled.

"Okay there, Mira, reel it in," Mallory stated, causing Mira's entire face to turn red. "Let's see if we can find him here. I have a feeling that we were brought here for a reason."

After simply exploring the city for a while, and occasionally stopping to cut down some roaming Heartless (some things never changed, apparently), Mira and Mallory came across Sheffield Institute, where classes were just getting out for the day, as many students could be seen piling out of the front gates.

"Oh, my _god_ , there's a lot of people here," Mallory gasped. "This place could _easily_ put Daybreak Town to shame."

"Any idea if he's there?" Mira asked. "There's so many people to search through..."

"HEY, WATCH IT, YOU JACKASS!"

"No clue, but I _definitely_ know _that_ voice," Mallory groaned. "Come on, Mir, let's go bail our friend out of trouble."

Mira and Mallory made their way through the crowd even as the shouting began to grow in intensity.

"Maybe you should watch where you're going, mister fashion reject!" Uriah growled, pushing Justin backwards, only for Justin to move back in and shove Uriah away himself.

"Well, maybe if _you_ hadn't decided to _innocuously_ trip me when I couldn't see you, maybe I wouldn't have fallen head first into your damn face!" Justin shot back.

"Oh, you're being an accusing little _brat_ now, aren't you?!" Uriah shouted, advancing threateningly on Justin.

Before Uriah could make any more moves, however, he heard the voice that usually meant he was in trouble.

"Uriah, that _better not_ be you I hear yelling at someone again!"

Uriah decided right then and there that he didn't want to bear the brunt of Cornelia's wrath, and made himself scarce quickly.

"Hey, get back here, you jerkoff! I'm not doing ripping you a new one yet!" Justin exclaimed, ready to whip out his keyblade to deal with Uriah, onlookers be damned.

"Um, is everything okay?" Cornelia asked once she'd gotten to the point of the crowd where Uriah had been. "Where'd Uriah go?"

"He turned tail and ran," Nigel quipped.

"He'd better run, because I'm _not_ forgiving him for that bullcrap he just pulled on me!" Justin growled, raising his right hand to summon his keyblade, only for him to yelp in pain as a hand reached out to pull him away from the crowd.

"Ignore him, for he... yeah, he's kinda a doofus," Katelyn quipped to Cornelia.

"Katie, let me go!" Justin shouted.

"Let it go, dude," Katelyn responded as she continued to pull Justin away. "He's just a schoolyard bully, he's not worth the trouble. And, for the hundredth freakin' time, I told you that only Nick's allowed to call me 'Katie'."

"I understand that, but could you _please_ let go of my ear before you rip it off?!" Justin proclaimed.

"Oh, and that's another thing," Katelyn reprimanded, staring hard at Justin. "Why are you picking fights with random bullies when we _should_ be trying to find Mira and Mallory? If we're here, they've gotta be around here somewhere, too!"

"Hey, don't blame _me_ for that," Justin groaned. "I sensed the power of the keyblade coming from the school, so I figured maybe they'd be there looking for us."

"Welp, it's good to see that you two haven't changed much at all, huh?"

Justin and Katelyn both turned on their heels just as Mallory and Mira walked up to them.

"Just follow the hothead, huh?" Mallory laughed as Katelyn threw herself at the older girl.

"Well, I had a hunch," Justin responded as Mira waved to him. "Wait, though. If that wasn't you guys I sensed at the school, who was it? That means _someone_ up there has a keyblade."

"Wait, you don't think it could be...?" Katelyn gasped.

"That's what we thought, too," Mira answered. "Maybe he goes to school there in this world..."

Another pair of voices caught the group's attention, one of them very familiar to the four friends.

"So, did you wanna... you know?" Nick asked, hoping she'd say yes.

"Oh, Nick, you're still shy about all of this?" Cornelia giggled.

"Hey, I can't really help it," Nick stuttered. "I've spent most of my time on a dangerous quest to save the worlds that only just ended a few days ago, so we haven't really gotten to spend much time together that _doesn't_ involve trashing some Heartless or Nobodies. I feel like I'm not being a good enough boyfriend..."

"Nick, don't be silly," Cornelia responded, leaning over to hug Nick. "I'm just happy to spend time with you. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, after all. You know we're not the typical couple, right?"

"I guess," Nick laughed. "And it doesn't help that I keep getting summoned back to Candracar for more training."

"I'm sure the Oracle just wants to make sure you're ready," Cornelia answered. "After all, you _just_ became a Keyblade Master, didn't you?"

Mira couldn't believe her eyes. "Oh, my goodness, it's really him!"

Mira wanted to call out to the object of her affection, but Katelyn quickly clamped her hands over Mira's mouth and put a stop to that.

"Mira, down," Katelyn quipped. "We don't wanna draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves."

"Besides, we have no clue if he even remembers us now," Mallory responded. "Whatever made him come back must have made him lose his memory of the old days."

"Aw, that sucks," Mira groaned, puffing her cheeks out in an annoyed way.

"Yeah, he's still got a keyblade, apparently," Justin quipped. "But it doesn't look like he remembers our adventures. That's a definite suck."

Nick and Cornelia suddenly glanced down the nearby street that led out into the suburbs.

"You felt that, too?" Nick asked.

"How could I not?" Cornelia replied, summoning Rockbreaker to her hands. "You wanna go take care of it?"

"Lead the way, darling," Nick teased, summoning Starlight to his hands.

"H-Holy crapbaskets, he's still got his Starlight!" Katelyn exclaimed. "Does he actually remember everything or not?! I'm so confused!"

"I'm following him!" Mira gasped, summoning her own Starlight. "He might need our help!"

Before anyone in the group could decide what to do, though, Justin turned around and noticed a figure covered in a black coat just a few feet from them.

"Hey, who's the guy in the coat?" Mallory asked.

"Wait, could that be..." Katelyn started. "Is that Luxu? He's the only person we know aside from the Master of Masters who wore that coat..."

The figure took a few steps forward and raised their hand, summoning a keyblade. It had a black handle with a yellow crystal near the blade and yellow and silver stars near the pommel, a guard comprised of shooting stars that faded into black, with the centers being silver circles inlaid with green crystals. The base of the blade was silver, and the blade was grey fading into black. Set on the blade's tip are three dark green crystals, and the teeth was a silver and gold moon over a yellow star. The keychain consisted of a trail of dark green crystals, and the token was a black version of the elemental symbol of Earth.

"Oh, cool keyblade," Mira giggled, taking a step toward the figure.

Katelyn barely had time to yank Mira backwards by her shoulders as the robed figure swung its keyblade, Phantom Green, in a fierce downward slash.

"All right, you," Katelyn growled, summoning her Starlight to her hands. "Keyblades are _not_ something you use to bully people! I've dealt with enough of you nutballs back in Daybreak Town!"

The Mysterious Figure simply clutched the handle of Phantom Green before attacking again, swinging in wild and savage attacks and giving Katelyn barely any time to swing Starlight to parry each slash.

"All right, so you're gonna be stubborn," Katelyn stated, reaching towards the hilt of Starlight to activate her Medals...

...only to find that none of them were there.

"W-wait, what happened to all of my Medals?!" Katelyn exclaimed.

This gave the Mysterious Figure the opportunity to dart close to Katelyn and slash Phantom Green upwards and unleash a torrent of rocks and boulders that shot upwards around the Mysterious Figure, the ferocity of the attack sending Katelyn stumbling back.

"Hold on, Katelyn! CURA!" Mira exclaimed, her Starlight already out and glowing brightly, surrounding Katelyn with a field of light that healed her wounds.

 _At least I can still use my magic,_ Mira thought. She knew why Katelyn had been unable to use her Medals, as they no longer existed. After all, Medals were created by drawing power from the future worlds seen in the Book of Prophecies, and since they were actually _in_ the future with no Book to be found...

The Mysterious Figure slowly advanced on them, holding Phantom Green menacingly.

"All right, jerk, you're asking for it," Justin proclaimed. "Girls, let's group up and hit 'em until he dies!"

"That's just like you, Justin," Mallory giggled, summoning her keyblade. "But I agree. This freak won't stand a chance against all four of us!"

Justin, Mira, Mallory, and Katelyn all stood their ground, waiting for the Mysterious Figure to attack.

When it did, they all lunged, their keyblades ready to strike.

 _re:Connect  
_ _W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart_


End file.
